KodeKloud Notes

Welcome to this comprehensive guide on deploying and managing Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). Whether you’re new to Kubernetes or looking to optimize your existing clusters, this lesson covers:

GKE cluster modes of operation
Cluster accessibility and management
Scaling and upgrading strategies
Monitoring and logging with Cloud Operations

We’ll also walk through hands-on lab activities so you can apply these concepts in real time.

The image is a slide titled "GKE Deployment and Administration," listing topics such as GKE modes of operation, cluster preparation, scaling, upgrading, and monitoring.

What You’ll Learn

Topic	Description
GKE Modes of Operation	Compare Autopilot, Standard, and private clusters
Cluster Preparation	Configure networking, IAM, and security
Scaling & Upgrades	Implement cluster autoscaling, node auto-provisioning, and version upgrades
Monitoring & Logging	Leverage Cloud Operations to monitor, alert, and visualize cluster performance
Hands-On Labs	Create clusters, install `kubectl`, and apply labels/tags

Note

GKE combines Google’s infrastructure with open-source Kubernetes, enabling you to focus on applications rather than managing control planes.
Learn more in the GKE Documentation.

Detailed Topics

GKE Cluster Modes of Operation
Explore the differences between Standard, Autopilot, and Private clusters, and determine which mode aligns with your organizational needs.
Preparing Your Cluster
- Configure networking (VPC, firewall rules)
- Set up IAM roles and policies
- Enable private endpoint and master authorized networks
Scaling and Upgrading
- Cluster Autoscaling
- Node Auto-Provisioning
- Rolling and surge upgrades for both clusters and node pools
Monitoring and Logging
Integrate with the Cloud Operations suite to track metrics, set alerts, and visualize logs.

The image is a slide titled "GKE Deployment and Administration" with a list of lab tasks: creating a GKE cluster, installing kubectl, and applying labels and tags to GKE clusters.

Hands-On Lab Exercises

Create a GKE Cluster

gcloud container clusters create my-gke-cluster \
  --zone us-central1-c \
  --machine-type n1-standard-1

Install kubectl
```
gcloud components install kubectl
```

Apply Labels and Tags

kubectl label nodes <NODE_NAME> environment=production
gcloud compute instances add-tags <INSTANCE_NAME> --tags=k8s-node

By the end of this lesson, you’ll have a well-architected GKE environment and the skills to maintain it at scale. Let’s get started!

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