How to Deploy a Connector on GCP

Overview

There are several options available for deploying Connectors on Google Cloud Platform depending on your particular environment and needs.

Compute Engine Deployment

If you are deploying a custom virtual machine, you can follow the general Linux Connector deployment instructions for full details.

In summary:

  • Docker-based deployment is compatible with any 64-bit Linux distribution that Docker supports.
  • The Connector systemd service is currently supported on Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and CentOS.

Automated Compute Engine Deployment

We offer an automated method of deploying a Compute Engine instance with the Connector pre-installed. Use the steps below to create and configure a Compute Engine instance.

  • Log in to your Twingate Admin Console, click on Remote Networks then on the Remote Network on which you want to deploy a Connector. From there, scroll down and click on the Add Connector button on the left-hand side of the screen
  • Click on the new Connector that was created. On the deployment page click the Google Cloud option at the top of the screen
    Choosing the ECS Option
    Choosing the ECS Option
  • Scroll down to step 2 and click the button to generate tokens. It will have you re-authenticate and then bring you back to this page
    Generate Tokens
    Generate Tokens
  • Scroll down to step 3 and fill out the required information about your Google Cloud environment, as well as enable and configure the optional features
    Fill out the ECS Configuration
    Fill out the ECS Configuration
  • Scroll down to step 5 and copy the command to launch the Connector. Run it in the Google Cloud CLI
    Launch the Connector
    Launch the Connector

Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Deployment

Connectors can also be deployed on a GKE cluster using the official Twingate Helm chart. If you intend use Twingate for K8s, you may also want to look at our Kubernetes Best Practices Guide.

Infrastructure as Code Deployment

Deployment automation is available using Terraform, Pulumi, or the Twingate API.

Updating the Connector

Connectors running on GCP run as a systemd service. Updates can be done manually by using the Linux package manager, or automatically by setting up a scheduled task to check for updates. We recommend staggering updates across multiple Connectors to avoid downtime. For more details check our Systemd Connector Update Guide.

Last updated 4 months ago