Google Compute Engine (GCE) is an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) part of the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). With Cloudways, you can build and deploy high-performance and scalable applications on GCP with simplicity and freedom. Cloudways Managed Hosting Platform + Google’s infrastructure — is a formula that guarantees unmatched performance, reliability, and choice with 24/7 support that acts as your extended team.

To deliver you the best and most excellent hosting experience, the GCE server lineup is divided into three main categories:

Each family is designed for specific workload types. Choosing the right server for your workload is a crucial part of your application’s success. Let’s dive in a bit deep to uncover what these new instances offer.

Standard series is the first generation general-purpose series of Google Compute Engine (GCE). Standard series machines are available on Intel Skylake, Broadwell, Haswell, Sandy Bridge, and Ivy Bridge CPU platforms based on availability in different regions. These machines have local SSDs having higher throughput and lower latency than standard disks.

Standard series also have one instance called “Small” which has 1.70 GB RAM and 1 shared vCPU for short periods of bursting. Please note that the “Small” instance does not have a local SSD.

Compute-optimized family instances are powered by the blazing-fast latest generation Intel Cascade Lake processors and robust local SSD drives. Local SSDs have higher throughput and lower latency than standard disks. The processor offers a base frequency of 3.1 GHz, and up to 3.8 GHz sustained all-core turbo. CO series is designed to achieve ultra-high performance for compute-intensive workloads as it offers the highest performance per core.

The 3.8 GHz CPU offers faster content delivery due to more efficient processes and script executions. Besides powerful spec sheets and additional computing power, Cloudways Thunder stack and advanced caching techniques optimize these instances on top of it to maximize the performance so you can make the most out of it. The following servers are available under this family:

General Purpose High-CPU family instances are designed to offer the best price-performance ratio for the different workloads. It is ideal for those workloads and tasks that require a moderate increase of vCPUs relative to memory. These instances run on the latest generation Intel Cascade Lake processors with 2.8 GHz base frequency, and up to 3.4 GHz sustained all-core turbo. It also offers robust local SSD drives. Local SSD drives have higher throughput and lower latency than standard disks.

Operations requiring higher clock frequency can take advantage of such instances as they offer higher per-thread performance while benefiting from Cloudways Thunder stack and advanced caching techniques, which optimize these instances on top of it. The following servers are available under this family:

This GCE lineup is subjected to availability from the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). GCP has 14+ data centers across the globe. Please note that Mumbai, India data center does not offer General Purpose High-CPU (HC) instances.

Please note that if you are scaling up in a region where your desired server is unavailable, then you can clone your server to a different region to get that machine.

We have benchmarked a few GCE instances to compare the performance. This benchmark includes a Page Response comparison of each server from the following series.

Tip

Page Response evaluates the number of responses the server can handle under a sustained load from the users

All the benchmarks were carried out using the same testing conditions for each machine.

The first comparison was between the chosen machines keeping Varnish cache disabled. It is being observed that after CO 7XL and HC 8XL shown in the graph as 7-8XL (x-axis), the rise in request count (y-axis) is not significant considering the previous trends. However, the Compute Optimized (CO) machines were able to handle a higher number of requests and performed well. On the other hand, the Standard Series machines after 4 XL did not show greater response counts.

The second test was to compare Coremark scores among our chosen machines. Coremark scores are impressive, and all the machines show consistent performance. On a performance level, both CO and HC families compare well. Yet, we need to keep into perspective the amount of memory both machine types are equipped with, so if your application demands a good amount of memory, CO machines will handle the job better.

Log in to your Cloudways Platform using your credentials.

Tip

It is recommended to deploy your server on the data center closest to your clients to minimize the network latency.

8. Scroll down and select the storage size for application web files.

9. Next, choose the storage size for the database.

10. Choose your server location from the list.

11. Finally, click Launch Now.
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That’s it! Your new GCE Instance will be deployed in a few minutes.

Tip

Once your server and application(s) are created, then don’t forget to follow the take site live checklist to take your website online.

If you use Google Cloud Platform already, you can easily scale up to a new GCE family using a vertical scaling feature. Else, if you use any other cloud partner and want to switch, you can clone your server.

You can scale up your current GCE instance to the latest generation servers using the following steps:

Important

Log in to your Cloudways Platform using your credentials.

3. Under Server Management, select Vertical Scaling.

4. Under server size, hover over different server sizes to get more information. Once decided, you can select that server size.

5. Finally, click Scale Now.

Important

Please note that if you are scaling up in a region where your desired server is unavailable, then you can clone your server to a different region to get that machine.

6. You will be prompted with some warnings about the scaling process. Once you are ready, you can click Proceed.

It may take a few minutes to get your server up and running again with new specifications.

Upgrading from other cloud providers to a new GCE server is possible by cloning the server.

Log in to your Cloudways Platform using your email address and password.

4. You will be prompted for the cloning process. Click Yes.

5. Select the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) as your infrastructure provider.

6. Next, select your desired server size.

7. Choose the storage size for application web files.

8. Next, choose the storage size for the database.

9. Select your server location.

10. Finally, click the Clone Server.

Your new instance will be deployed in a few minutes. Please bear in mind that the cloning process only creates an identical copy of your website contents. It does not merge previously applied configurations or settings through the Platform. Once the cloning process is completed, you will need to follow the take site live checklist and update your DNS records to get your website online.

That’s it! We hope this article was helpful. If you need any help, then feel free to search your query on Cloudways Support Center or contact us via chat (Need a Hand > Send us a Message). Alternatively, you can also create a support ticket.

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