In order to continue to build a greater influence in the Microsoft ecosystem, Google introduced the function of running Windows Server containers on Google Kubernetes Engine.
As with Linux workloads, more and more companies are delivering Windows Server applications in containers to simplify operations and maintenance.
However, compared with last year that Microsoft's operating system is compatible with Kubernetes, Google's actions have been slower. The open source Kubernetes framework is an essential tool for managing container clusters in enterprises, so they can run on multiple systems.
Starting today, companies can also run Windows Server containers on Google Kubernetes Engine while running Linux workloads. The update management and other automated functions provided by the service are readily available.
In addition, Google has also added some Windows-specific features to attract users. One of them is the integration with Microsoft's Active Directory platform, which helps to create so-called Group Managed Service Accounts-which are management accounts for engineers who maintain Kubernetes deployments, including additional security protection (including by set time intervals Automatically rotate passwords).
Google has adjusted the Google Kubernetes Engine to adapt to Microsoft's Windows Server licensing model. When setting up deployment, companies can also choose to obtain a new version of the operating system twice a year, or once every two or three years, but the support period for each version is longer.
Google is actively working to make its cloud platform a more attractive environment for running Microsoft workloads. In the past year, Google has launched new services, providing a hosted version of Active Directory and Microsoft's SQL Server relational database. It also provides the option for companies to continue to use their existing Windows Server licenses.
According to Gabe Monroy, project director of Microsoft Azure, Kubernetes has greatly promoted the cooperation between Google and Microsoft. In particular, the joint work of the two companies based on the framework's open source code is a catalyst.
Monroy said: "This upstream work allows people to reach people from different companies." Google engineer Tim Hockin (he was one of the original co-founders of Kubernetes) also said, "Google and Microsoft work closely together on countless projects. , The whole community is the same."