You need to create a copy of a custom Compute Engine virtual machine (VM) to facilitate an expected increase in application traffic due to a business acquisition. What should you do?

The standard and most scalable method for replicating a Compute Engine VM is to create a reusable template, known as a custom image. The correct workflow is to first create a snapshot of the source VM's persistent disk. This snapshot captures a point-in-time state of the disk. From this snapshot, you create a custom image. This image then serves as a blueprint to create multiple, identical new VM instances. This process is ideal for scaling out an application to handle increased traffic, as required by the scenario.

A. This option is incomplete. While creating an image from a snapshot is a correct step, the final goal is to create running VM instances to serve traffic, not more images.
B. You cannot create a VM instance directly from a snapshot. A snapshot can be used to restore a disk or create a new disk, but the standard workflow for creating new VMs is from an image.
C. This describes an incorrect process. You create VM instances from a custom image to scale an application, not additional images from an existing image.

1. Google Cloud Documentation, "Creating custom images": "After you create a custom image, you can use that image to create VM instances. ... You can create a custom image from a source disk, a snapshot, another image, or a Cloud Storage file..." This confirms that the standard process is to create an image (often from a snapshot) and then use it to create instances.

2. Google Cloud Documentation, "Create a VM instance from a custom image": This document provides the specific steps for the final part of the correct workflow: "You can create one or more VM instances from a custom image." This directly supports the second clause of option D.

3. Google Cloud Documentation, "Creating persistent disk snapshots": "You can use a snapshot to create a new disk that is populated with the data from the snapshot." This clarifies the primary use of a snapshot is for data backup/restore and creating new disks, not directly creating VM instances, which invalidates option B.