This page provides an overview of connected deployments of Google Distributed Cloud (formerly Google Distributed Cloud Edge), including information about when to use it and its limitations and known issues.
A connected deployment of Distributed Cloud allows you to run Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) clusters on dedicated hardware provided and maintained by Google that is separate from the traditional Google Cloud data center. Google delivers and installs the Distributed Cloud hardware on your premises.
Deploying workloads on a connected Distributed Cloud installation functions in a similar way to deploying workloads on cloud-based GKE clusters. After the hardware has been deployed, your cluster administrator provisions connected Distributed Cloud clusters by using the Google Cloud console or the Google Cloud CLI. In addition, your network administrator configures the Distributed Cloud networking components so that your workloads can communicate with your local network and each other. Your application owners can then deploy workloads to those clusters. Connected deployments of Distributed Cloud support running workloads in Kubernetes containers and on virtual machines, including GPU-based workloads, which run on NVIDIA Tesla T4 GPUs.
Connected deployments of Distributed Cloud are available in one of the following form factors:
- Distributed Cloud connected rack. A rack of six Distributed Cloud connected servers and two top-of-rack (ToR) switches. This configuration supports both local control plane and Cloud control plane clusters.
- Distributed Cloud connected server. A standalone Distributed Cloud connected server that connects directly to your local network through your own network hardware. This form factor only supports local control plane clusters.
For more information on each form factor, see Distributed Cloud form factors.
Google remotely monitors and maintains your connected deployments of Distributed Cloud, which includes installing software updates and security patches, resolving configuration issues, and diagnosing the Distributed Cloud hardware. To resolve an issue that can't be resolved remotely, you must provide Google's authorized personnel physical access to the Distributed Cloud hardware.
Your Distributed Cloud connected deployment uses a secure Cloud VPN connection to access Google Cloud services and your applications that run within Google Cloud and your Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) network.
For a technical overview of connected deployments Distributed Cloud, see How Distributed Cloud connected works.
When to use Distributed Cloud connected
A connected deployment of Distributed Cloud is specifically designed to address the following scenarios in which conventional Google Cloud deployments might not be sufficient:
- Your applications require a very stable network connection and cannot tolerate potential traffic disruptions that commonly occur when transferring data over the internet.
- Your applications require the lowest attainable network latency and are sensitive to latency spikes or jitter. Distributed Cloud also supports high-performance network technologies such as single root input/output virtualization (SR-IOV) and the Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) for even more advanced scenarios that utilize the Network function operator (not available on Distributed Cloud Servers).
- Your applications generate large amounts of data that would be performance-prohibitive or cost-prohibitive to transfer to and from Google Cloud.
- Your local laws or regulations dictate that your data must remain on-premises and must not be stored either outside of your business or outside of a specific geographic jurisdiction.
Limitations of Distributed Cloud connected
A Distributed Cloud connected zone has the following limitations compared to a conventional cloud-based GKE zone:
- Processing capacity. Unlike a conventional cloud-based zone, your connected deployment of Distributed Cloud has limited processing capacity. Be mindful of this limitation when planning and deploying your workloads.
- Workload restrictions. Distributed Cloud connected places several restrictions on your workloads.
- GKE Enterprise features. Distributed Cloud connected does not support GKE Enterprise features such as Anthos Service Mesh except for the ConfigSync feature of Config Management.
Known issues in this release of Distributed Cloud
This release of Distributed Cloud connected has the following known issues:
- A large number of webhook calls might cause the Konnectivity proxy to temporarily fail.
- The metrics agents running on Distributed Cloud connected nodes can accumulate a backlog of events and stall, preventing the capture of further metrics.
- Garbage collection intermittently fails to clean up terminated Pods.
- BGP sessions do not recover when the corresponding network interface goes down and then comes back up.