Objective: To create accounts on the major cloud platforms, become familiar with the management console, and learn to navigate core features like the Cloud Shell and Marketplace. This lab is your entry into the "driver's lounge" of the cloud.

Start where you are

This is the first lab in our journey and requires no prior cloud experience. We'll be setting up accounts on two major cloud platforms: Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Microsoft Azure. We will also include instructions for Amazon Web Services (AWS), specifically the AWS Educate program, which is designed for students.

A quick note on billing: Most cloud providers require a credit card to create an account, primarily for identity verification. Don't worry! All major providers offer substantial "free tiers" or initial credits, and the services we use in this course are designed to fall within those free limits. We will learn about managing cloud costs in a later chapter, but it's good practice to be mindful from the start.

Step 1: Create your account

Your first step is to create a "free tier" account on at least two of the following platforms. The process is similar to signing up for any online service, but you'll be gaining access to a global network of data centers.

• Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Navigate to the Google Cloud Free Tier signup page. It is recommend that you use your personal Google account to sign up. If you use your University of Utah google account, you will be unable to create any resources because those permissions have been restricted for student accounts. After you sign up, during out first class meeting I will provide you with the details to access $50 free credits which should cover you for the remaining labs and some additional practice.
• Microsoft Azure: The University of Utah is part of the Microsoft Academic program which comes with access to Microsoft Azure and starting $100 credits. You will need an active uid email to access this resource. Visit this link: https://azureforeducation.microsoft.com/devtools and then click on ‘Enroll’. You have to access the resource by signing into your University account (using single-sign on). Follow the prompts after clicking on enroll (which will include the Duo push, and logging in with your uid - use u######@utah.edu and password perhaps more than one time). When completed, you should be taken to the Azure portal homepage.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS): Amazon Web Services (AWS) also offers a standard Free Tier account, which requires entering a credit card number for signup. While they have an education program called AWS Educate, it has become more constrained for hands-on learning over the years and now consists mostly of learning videos. Therefore, for this course, we will only refer to AWS comparatively, and you are not expected to create an account with them. If you already have an AWS account and accept the responsibility of managing your usage carefully, you may use it. However, beware of running up unintended cloud bills. As a general rule for any cloud platform, never create a resource that you don’t know what it does, and delete any resources you create right after you are done with your exercise.

Follow the on-screen instructions for each platform. Once completed, you will have access to the cloud management console for each provider.

Step 2: Explore the Window

The cloud management console (or "portal") is your cockpit for managing cloud resources. While it may look overwhelming at first with its hundreds of services, the layout follows a similar pattern across providers. Log into each of the accounts you created and take a few minutes to find the following:

• The Main Dashboard: This is the homepage you land on after logging in. It usually provides a summary of your resources, billing information, and links to common services.
• The Service Search Bar: This is your most powerful navigation tool. It's almost always at the top of the page. You can use it to find any service by name (e.g., "Storage," "Virtual Machines," "Databases").
• The Navigation Menu (or "Hamburger" Menu): Usually represented by an icon with three horizontal lines (≡), this menu provides a categorized list of all available services (e.g., Compute, Storage, Networking, AI/ML).
• Project / Subscription / Account Information: Somewhere near the top, you'll see the name of your current project (GCP), subscription (Azure), or account (AWS). This is important in environments where you might be managing multiple separate projects.
• Billing & Cost Management: Find the section related to billing. You won't have any costs yet, but knowing where to check is a crucial habit.

Compare the consoles. Notice the similarities in layout and the different branding and terminology. This is the first step toward building a vendor-agnostic perspective.

Step 3: Cloud Shell

The Cloud Shell is a browser-based command-line interface (CLI) that gives you programmatic access to your cloud resources without any local installation. It comes pre-loaded with the necessary Software Development Kits (SDKs) and tools.