Looking for a cloud based solution to teach non-computer students linux, python, pandas etc

[Roy Woodhead]

Hi,

I am looking for a solution to use with undergraduate accounting students. I want them to learn basic linux/ubuntu, python, numpy, scipy as a gentle introduction in to data science. My hope is I can later deepen their capability.

The IT in my university runs on Windows 7 and is locked down so it is not possible to download virtual machines. 

Is Google Cloud Platform a viable option? Does everying run in the cloud so it is accessed through a browser, or is there a need to download a client of some kind?

Is the $300 limit something that could become problematic for students? Has anyone done something similar?

Some students won't have credit cards. Is that a 'must have'?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Best wishes

Roy

[Kord Campbell]

You do have to have a card to create a managing account. OTOH, you can add the users to an existing cloud account with only a Google account.

I'd suggest starting small preemtible instances on your own account and then let them click on the SSH buttons in the browser to get a shell running.

g1-small instances are 3/4 of a cent an hour, when run preemtible. This works out to 42,000 hours of instance time, with that $300 credit.

Your challenge will be configuring perms in a programmatic way (add/delete), and setting those perms to not allow starting instances or other activities which would burn through your credits.

K

--
© 2018 Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043
 
Email preferences: You received this email because you signed up for the Google Compute Engine Discussion Google Group (gce-discussion@googlegroups.com) to participate in discussions with other members of the Google Compute Engine community and the Google Compute Engine Team.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "gce-discussion" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to gce-discussion+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to gce-discussion@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/gce-discussion/6abdbeb2-c7fd-4643-8719-cb0ac0ebe62c%40googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Dinesh (Google Platform Support)]

Hi Roy,

You may consider using Google Cloud Compute Engine (GCE)[1][2] for your requirements where you can create a different type of Virtual machines (depending upon OS) You can connect to there machines via SSH or Remote desktop[3] sessions directly from the browser.

Regarding your credit card query, you can find detailed information in this free trial FAQ section[4]. Moreover, you have an option to create multiple cloud projects with a single billing account. 

I hope it helps? 

[1]: https://cloud.google.com/compute/

[2]:https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/instances/

[3]: https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/instances/connecting-to-instance

[4]: https://cloud.google.com/free/docs/frequently-asked-questions#why-credit-card