
Introducing Google Container-VM Image - ingve
https://cloudplatform.googleblog.com/2016/09/introducing-Google-Container-VM-Image.html
======
nwrk
Seems like good alternative to CoreOS. Maintained by Google. More details
[1][2]

[1] [https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/containers/vm-
image/](https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/containers/vm-image/)

[2] [https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/containers/vm-
image/re...](https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/containers/vm-
image/release-notes)

~~~
gtirloni
First thought was CoreOS seem more mature and polished so why Container-VM?

I can run CoreOS on my own servers. Can I run Container-VM on them if GCE
doesn't cut it for me (or I want to standardize my hybrid cloud on a single
OS)?

~~~
JeanMertz
We booted a fresh GKE 1.4 cluster yesterday to migrate from our old 1.3
cluster.

Looking at the machine, it looks like this is a fork(?) of CoreOS:

    
    
      $ grep core /etc/passwd
      core:x:5000:5000::/home/core:/bin/bash
    
      $ cat /etc/os-release
      BUILD_ID=8820.0.0
      NAME="Container-VM Image"
      GOOGLE_CRASH_ID=Lakitu
      VERSION_ID=55
      BUG_REPORT_URL=https://crbug.com/new
      PRETTY_NAME="Google Container-VM Image"
      VERSION=55
      GOOGLE_METRICS_PRODUCT_ID=26
      HOME_URL="https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/containers/vm-image/"
      ID=gci
    
      $ toolbox
      Spawning container core-debian-jessie-backports on /var/lib/toolbox/core-debian-jessie-backports.
      Press ^] three times within 1s to kill container.
    

If not a direct fork, it certainly uses the same base Chromium OS (which is no
surprise) and uses some of the same toolsets that CoreOS uses.

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areed
I've been using this in CI to build and test my Dockerized app. On GCE billing
is by the minute (after a 10 minute minimum) so it hasn't been too expensive.

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redgc
Do you have any trick for spinning up/down CI VMs on-demand?

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swozey
I use gitlab multi-runners. It's a privileged mode docker container that spins
up other containers on the host machine to run its builds. I have them sitting
in an autoscaling group where if it hits 40% cpu usage another server running
gitlab multi-runner starts and automatically registers to do more builds.

You can do this with any ci system though, not specific to gitlab.

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SysArchitect
Anyway to download the image for use in a private cloud?

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dekhn
I imagine it would be trivial: start an image, then capture the filesystem
image, then patch up anything where the image depended on Google Cloud.

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skj
Just to be clear, the "would be trivial" part was a joke, right?

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threeseed
Since you can SSH into the running image you can just use rsync to clone the
entire disk. Is there something you know that is being missed here ?

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Natanael_L
I'm thinking they're expecting it to be heavily reliant on Google
infrastructure through a variety of API calls.

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jpkeisala
How is actually Google compared to other cloud hosting providers in pricing?
Is there any independent site that compares cloud hosting providers?

~~~
user5994461
Depends on your usage.

If you just need a few servers for your side projects. You should use one of
the cheap providers: Digital Ocean/Linode/OVH/Hertzner. They're just a lot
cheaper.

If you need all the fancy features, typically because you're running a company
(VPC, SAN drives, S3/cloud storage, load balancers...). You should use GCE
instead of AWS. I'd say it's 20-50% cheaper in average.

~~~
brianwawok
The cheapest GCE server is $4 something a month. How much us that $5 digital
ocean server saving you?

Yes the DO has better specs but for most projects you won't notice (for
example local sad)

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user5994461
GCE/AWS: $n for the server + $2 for the hard disk + $y for the bandwidth +
some other surprises we'll only find out later.

Digital Ocean really is $5, fixed, all inclusive.

That's the difference ;)

~~~
brianwawok
I hosted a WordPress site on GCE for under $5 all in. Then when I wanted to
move to hosted SQL.... Took 3 clicks.

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jacques_chester
[deletion because HN doesn't have strikethroughs for dramatic effect]

In which our complainant learns to read.

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SEJeff
It says ChromiumOS, which amusingly, is the same base as CoreOS.

~~~
jacques_chester
Thanks.

