A batch rendering job can safely restart if interrupted. What is the main financial reason to run its worker VMs as Spot VMs instead of standard VMs?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
Spot VMs, the successor to preemptible VMs, use spare Compute Engine capacity and are priced well below standard rates, commonly by up to about 91 percent depending on machine type and region. The tradeoff is that Compute Engine can reclaim them at any time with a short shutdown notice, so the job must tolerate interruption. They are not free, and they do not change network or license charges.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Spot VMs are billed at a discount rather than at zero cost. Charges still apply for every second they run, so the price is reduced, not eliminated.
- B. Spot VMs are billed for actual usage, not as a fixed monthly fee. A flat fee would remove the pay-per-use benefit that makes them attractive for batch work.
- C. Egress and network charges apply to Spot VMs in the same way they apply to standard VMs. Choosing a cheaper VM class does not waive them.