Cloud Architects and Infrastructure Engineers
Designing a cloud infrastructure migration strategy from on-premises to Google Cloud
Use cases
About
This Images mind map template provides a technical overview of cloud computing image management, specifically focusing on Google Compute Engine architectures. It serves as a comprehensive Images cheat sheet for cloud architects and DevOps engineers, detailing 53 distinct nodes across 6 major categories including Public, Custom, and Family. The template explains how to use operating system images to create boot disks for instances and outlines the cost implications of premium images versus custom image storage charges. By mapping out the Support lifecycle and the mechanism of an 'image family', this Xmind template helps teams understand how to roll forward or roll back between specific image versions while maintaining security updates and system stability.
Terms and ConditionsWhen to use this template
DevOps Teams and System Administrators
Establishing a standardized OS patching and image lifecycle management policy
Technical Leads and IT Trainers
Onboarding new developers to cloud-native deployment workflows and boot disk configurations
How to use this template
Step 1
Import the Xmind file
Download and open the .xmind file in Xmind desktop or the web app to view the full 53-node hierarchy.
Step 2
Map your image families
Customize the 'Family' branch by adding your specific project naming conventions and versioning rules for custom images.
Step 3
Export as a reference
Export the completed mind map as a PDF or PNG to include in your project's technical documentation or cloud architecture handbook.
Frequently asked questions
Public images are preconfigured OS images provided by Google or third-party vendors, often available at no extra cost. Custom images are user-owned boot disk images imported from local environments or created from existing instances, allowing for preconfigured applications and specific project access control.
An image family groups related images together and automatically points to the most recent, non-deprecated version. This allows users to roll back to a previous version simply by deprecating the current one, ensuring instances always boot from a stable and supported image.
Images marked as deprecated remain available for use, but they no longer receive monthly security updates from Google. The template notes that availability of updates for these images depends entirely on the original distribution or operating system vendor.
Most public images are free, but premium images incur extra costs. Custom images imported to Compute Engine do not add to the instance cost but do incur an image storage charge based on the size of the stored data.
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