NetTraceArcade | Cybersecurity, AI & Cloud

Windows Server is still the backbone of a huge number of company systems. It powers Active Directory, SQL Server, .NET applications, file servers, remote work desktops and a long list of legacy business software that is not going away any time soon. The good news is that you no longer need to buy hardware, rack it in a server room or install an operating system from a disc to run it. On Google Cloud, you can have a Windows Server virtual machine up and running in a few minutes, and the Compute Engine: Qwik Start - Windows (GSP093) lab on Google Cloud Skills Boost is one of the fastest ways to learn how. The lab itself is short, usually around fifteen minutes. You create a Windows virtual machine, wait for it to finish booting, generate a password, and connect to its desktop using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). It sounds simple, but those few steps touch several ideas that every cloud beginner needs to understand: machine types, boot disks, regions and zones, firewall rules, serial...

Almost every project on Google Cloud ends up needing somewhere to put files. Images for a website, exported reports, database backups, log archives, training data for a model. The service Google built for this is Cloud Storage, and the Cloud Storage: Qwik Start lab (GSP073) on Google Cloud Skills Boost is the usual first contact with it. The lab itself is short. You create a bucket, upload a file, make that file public, and create a folder. It takes maybe fifteen minutes if nothing goes wrong. The reason it is worth writing about is that those few clicks hide a handful of decisions (bucket names, locations, storage classes, access control) that matter a lot once you build something real. This post covers the lab step by step and also explains what each setting actually does, so you are not just copying values from the instructions. The full video walkthrough is embedded below. Watch it once, then keep this page open as a reference while you do the lab yourself. Lab Ove...

AI agents become far more useful when they can work with real data. In this step-by-step tutorial, we build an AI agent using Google's Agent Development Kit (ADK) and Gemini that can securely access and analyze structured data in BigQuery through the BigQuery MCP Server , and then deploy it to Google Cloud Run . Watch the full walkthrough below, then use this post as a reference while you follow along. 📌 Introduction Large Language Models are powerful, but on their own they can't see your business data. To build agents that answer real questions about sales, customers, or operations, they need a safe way to connect to data sources and tools. This tutorial shows one way to do that: an ADK agent powered by Gemini uses the BigQuery MCP server to query structured data, and the whole application runs as a live service on Cloud Run. It is based on the Google Cloud codelab "Build and Deploy AI Agents with Gemini and BigQuery MCP server in Cloud Run." 🎯 Wha...

Looking for an easy way to complete the Cloud Storage: Qwik Start - CLI/SDK (GSP074) lab? In this Google Cloud Skills Boost tutorial, we use the Google Cloud CLI (Command Line Interface) to create a Cloud Storage bucket, upload objects, organize them into folders, and make them publicly accessible. Watch the full walkthrough below, then follow the steps in this post to complete the lab successfully. 📌 Introduction Cloud Storage is one of the most widely used services on Google Cloud. It lets you store and retrieve any amount of data, from images and documents to backups and application files. While you can manage it from the Google Cloud Console, using the command line is faster, repeatable, and a skill every cloud beginner should learn. This lab is an introductory exercise that teaches you the core Cloud Storage operations using the CLI. 🧪 Lab Details Lab Name: Cloud Storage: Qwik Start - CLI/SDK Lab ID: GSP074 Duration: 15 minutes Level: Introductory Cred...

Lab 6 Solution: Scale & Load Balance Your Architecture | AWS Academy Cloud Foundations In AWS Academy Cloud Foundations Lab 6, students learn how to improve application availability, reliability, and scalability using Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) and Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling. This lab demonstrates how AWS automatically distributes traffic across multiple instances and adjusts resources based on demand. Introduction Modern cloud applications must be capable of handling changing traffic patterns without affecting performance. AWS provides services such as Elastic Load Balancing and Auto Scaling to ensure applications remain highly available while optimizing infrastructure costs. This lab focuses on implementing these services in a practical environment. Lab Objectives Create an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) from a running EC2 instance. Create and configure an Elastic Load Balancer. Create a Launch Configuration. Create an Auto Scaling Group. Configure automatic scaling b...

Complete Guide to Building a Database Server on AWS Using Amazon RDS Complete Guide to Building a Database Server on AWS Using Amazon RDS Cloud computing has transformed how organizations deploy and manage databases. In this guide, we explore Amazon RDS, database server architecture, security implementation, networking configuration, best practices, and practical deployment steps. Video Demonstration The following video demonstrates the AWS Academy Cloud Foundations Lab 5 database server setup process. What is a Database Server? A database server is a system that stores, manages, and retrieves data for applications and users. Database servers are the backbone of modern web applications, mobile apps, ERP systems, and cloud services. Traditional database servers require manual maintenance, hardware provisioning, software updates, backups, and monitoring. Cloud providers simplify these tasks through managed servic...

  Lab 3 Solution: Introduction to Amazon EC2 | AWS Academy Cloud Foundations Complete Guide Watch the Complete Video Tutorial If you're looking for a step-by-step walkthrough of AWS Academy Cloud Foundations Lab 3, watch the complete video tutorial below before reading this guide: https://youtu.be/9MaBAq2Bf3Y?si=UI73Wzt_7gHvhQKd This tutorial demonstrates how to launch, manage, resize, monitor, and protect Amazon EC2 instances while explaining the core concepts behind AWS compute services. Introduction Cloud computing has transformed the way businesses deploy and manage applications. Instead of purchasing expensive physical servers, organizations can now provision virtual servers in minutes and pay only for the resources they use. One of the most important services that makes this possible is Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, commonly known as Amazon EC2. AWS Academy Cloud Foundations Lab 3 introduces students to Amazon EC2 and provides hands-on experience with launching, managing, mon...

  AWS Academy Cloud Foundations Lab 2 Solution: Build Your VPC and Launch a Web Server Complete Beginner's Guide Watch the Complete AWS Lab Walkthrough Understanding AWS networking concepts such as Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), subnets, route tables, internet gateways, and EC2 instances becomes much easier when you can see each step performed in the AWS Management Console. This detailed video tutorial provides a complete walkthrough of AWS Academy Cloud Foundations Lab 2: Build Your VPC and Launch a Web Server. Whether you're completing the lab for coursework, preparing for AWS certification exams, or building practical cloud computing skills, the video demonstrates the entire process from start to finish. Watch the full tutorial here: https://youtu.be/qL43XRzGIeo          The video covers: Creating a custom Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Configuring public and private subnets Setting up an Internet Gateway Creating and associating route tables Configuring Se...