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Site Reliability Engineering

Measuring and Managing Reliability

Google Cloud Training

Service level indicators (SLIs) and service level objectives (SLOs) are fundamental tools for measuring and managing reliability. In this course, students learn approaches for devising appropriate SLIs and SLOs and managing reliability through the use of an error budget.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction to SRE

This module is intended to bring you up to speed on the concepts underpinning SRE, CRE, and SLOs. If you're already familiar with these concepts, you may still find new information and perspectives in this module, but it is not necessary to complete it.

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what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Engages with fundamentals of SRE, CRE, and SLOs, which are important both in industry and academia

Teaches learners how to create an error budget, a valuable tool for quantifying unreliability

Explores the four-step process for developing SLOs and SLIs, providing a structured approach for learners

Taught by experts from Google Cloud Training, which is recognized for its work in the field of SRE

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Reviews summary

Foundational concepts in sre reliability

According to learners, this course provides a solid foundation in Site Reliability Engineering concepts, particularly focusing on SLIs, SLOs, and error budgets. Many appreciate the clear explanations and practical examples provided, finding the content, especially the module on error budgets, directly applicable to their work. However, a notable portion of students felt the course leaned heavily towards theory and lacked sufficient hands-on exercises or technical implementation details, suggesting it might require supplementary material for engineers needing to apply concepts directly. While some found it a great introduction, one reviewer felt it wasn't suited for complete beginners. Overall, it is seen as strong for understanding the 'why' and the framework of reliability measurement.

Opinions vary on suitability for beginners.

"...feels like it assumes some prior knowledge... Not for complete beginners."

"Excellent introduction to SLIs and SLOs."

"Recommended for anyone starting in SRE..."

"While parts were introductory, some sections were challenging without prior context."

Section on error budgets is useful.

"The error budget section was particularly helpful..."

"The error budget concept was well-explained."

"Explains... Error Budgets perfectly."

"I found the module on error budgets highly valuable for practical application."

Builds a strong conceptual base.

"Highly recommended for anyone starting in SRE..."

"...a solid foundation provided."

"Provides a solid framework for thinking about reliability..."

"Helped align my team's understanding."

"I feel I have a strong understanding of the core concepts now."

Explanations are easy to grasp.

"Excellent introduction... The concepts were explained clearly..."

"The instructors did a great job explaining complex ideas simply."

"Clear, concise, and directly applicable."

"Brilliant course, explains the 'why' behind SLIs/SLOs/Error Budgets perfectly."

"I found the concepts easy to follow and well-articulated."

Needs more practical implementation.

"Some parts felt a bit theoretical, and I wished for more hands-on exercises or labs..."

"It's heavy on theory... lacked practical implementation details."

"...might need supplementary material."

"The course felt very surface-level... Needed more practical guidance and tools."

"As an engineer, I found the lack of technical examples limiting."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Site Reliability Engineering: Measuring and Managing Reliability with these activities:

Review the principles of reliability engineering

Show steps

Refresh your understanding of the foundational concepts of reliability engineering.

Browse courses on Reliability Engineering

Show steps

Read articles or watch videos about reliability engineering principles.
Review the concepts of availability, reliability, and maintainability.
Discuss reliability engineering principles with peers or mentors.

Review key server monitoring metrics

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Reinforce your understanding of key metrics used in server monitoring.

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Identify the most common server monitoring metrics.
Understand how each metric is calculated.
Explain the significance of each metric in relation to server performance.

Calculate error budgets for different SLIs

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Develop proficiency in calculating error budgets, which are crucial for reliability management.

Browse courses on Error Budgets

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Review the concept of error budgets.
Practice calculating error budgets for various SLIs.
Analyze the impact of different error budgets on service reliability.

Four other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all seven activities

Explore open-source tools for SLI and SLO management

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Enhance your knowledge of industry-standard tools used for SLI and SLO management.

Browse courses on Monitoring Tools

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Research popular open-source tools for SLI and SLO management.
Select a tool and follow its tutorials to set up and use it.
Evaluate the tool's capabilities and limitations.

Develop an SLO for a critical service

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Gain practical experience in defining and quantifying service reliability.

Browse courses on Service Level Objectives

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Identify a critical service.
Define the desired reliability target.
Create an SLO that measures the service's reliability.
Present the SLO to stakeholders for feedback.

Gather resources on best practices for SLO and error budget management

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Curate a collection of valuable resources for ongoing learning and reference.

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Search for articles, blog posts, and videos on SLO and error budget management best practices.
Organize the resources into a central document or online repository.
Share the compilation with peers or contribute it to an online community.

Contribute to an open-source project focused on SLI or SLO

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Gain hands-on experience and make meaningful contributions to the SLI/SLO community.

Browse courses on SLOs

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Identify an open-source project related to SLI or SLO.
Familiarize yourself with the project's codebase and documentation.
Identify an area where you can contribute and propose your changes.
Implement your changes and submit a pull request.

Career center

Learners who complete Site Reliability Engineering: Measuring and Managing Reliability will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Site Reliability Engineer

A Site Reliability Engineer designs, implements, and maintains the infrastructure and software that power websites and online services. This course helps build a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering. Students learn how to measure and manage reliability using service level indicators (SLIs) and service level objectives (SLOs). This course is especially relevant for Site Reliability Engineers who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices.

See salaries and explore the career path for Site Reliability Engineer

DevOps Engineer

A DevOps Engineer collaborates with software developers and operations teams to ensure that software is built, tested, and deployed reliably and efficiently. This course provides a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is essential for DevOps Engineers who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices.

See salaries and explore the career path for DevOps Engineer

Cloud Architect

A Cloud Architect designs and manages cloud computing solutions. This course helps build a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is essential for Cloud Architects who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices in the cloud.

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Software Engineer

A Software Engineer designs, develops, and maintains software applications. This course provides a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is beneficial for Software Engineers who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices.

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Data Engineer

A Data Engineer designs and builds data pipelines and data warehouses. This course provides a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is beneficial for Data Engineers who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices for managing data pipelines and data warehouses.

See salaries and explore the career path for Data Engineer

Quality Assurance Analyst

A Quality Assurance Analyst tests and evaluates software products to ensure that they meet quality standards. This course provides a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is beneficial for Quality Assurance Analysts who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices for testing and evaluating software products.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Analyst

System Administrator

A System Administrator manages and maintains computer systems and networks. This course provides a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is beneficial for System Administrators who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices for managing and maintaining computer systems and networks.

See salaries and explore the career path for System Administrator

Network Engineer

A Network Engineer designs, builds, and maintains computer networks. This course provides a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is beneficial for Network Engineers who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices for designing, building, and maintaining computer networks.

See salaries and explore the career path for Network Engineer

Security Engineer

A Security Engineer designs and implements security measures to protect computer systems and networks from unauthorized access and attack. This course provides a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is beneficial for Security Engineers who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices for designing and implementing security measures.

See salaries and explore the career path for Security Engineer

Database Administrator

A Database Administrator manages and maintains databases. This course provides a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is beneficial for Database Administrators who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices for managing and maintaining databases.

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Cloud Engineer

A Cloud Engineer designs, builds, and maintains cloud computing solutions. This course provides a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is beneficial for Cloud Engineers who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices for designing, building, and maintaining cloud computing solutions.

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IT Manager

An IT Manager plans, organizes, and directs the activities of an organization's IT department. This course provides a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is beneficial for IT Managers who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices for managing an IT department.

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Project Manager

A Project Manager plans, organizes, and executes projects. This course provides a foundation in the principles and practices of Site Reliability Engineering, which is may be helpful for Project Managers who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices for planning, organizing, and executing projects.

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Business Analyst

A Business Analyst analyzes business needs and develops solutions to improve business processes. This course may be helpful for Business Analysts who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices for analyzing business needs and developing solutions to improve business processes.

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Technical Writer

A Technical Writer writes technical documentation, such as user manuals, white papers, and training materials. This course may be helpful for Technical Writers who want to develop a deeper understanding of reliability engineering and best practices for writing technical documentation.

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Reading list

We've selected 12 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Site Reliability Engineering: Measuring and Managing Reliability.

Site Reliability Engineering

Save

Provides a comprehensive overview of SRE best practices, including how to measure and manage reliability using SLIs and SLOs.

Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs...

Kindle Edition

The DevOps Handbook

Save

This novel tells the story of an IT team that uses SRE principles to improve their reliability and performance.

The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class...

Paperback

The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class...

Kindle Edition

Site Reliability Engineering

Save

This practical companion to the foundational SRE book provides exercises and templates to help readers apply SRE principles to their own organizations.

Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs...

Paperback

Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs...

Kindle Edition