Final answer:
The characteristic of a cloud instance that is not used to determine its cost is option b). the assigned security rules.
Factors like the amount of storage space, available network bandwidth, and the number of vCPUs are the key determinants of pricing in cloud computing services.
Step-by-step explanation:
A cloud instance abstracts physical computing infrastructure using virtual machine technology. It is similar to having your own server machine in the cloud.
The costs for cloud instances are typically calculated based on the following factors:
- a. the amount of storage space
- c. the available network bandwidth
- d. the number of vCPUs (Virtual Central Processing Units)
These factors directly impact the performance and resources used by the cloud instance.
However, security rules are configurations that pertain to the security of the instance and do not ordinarily incur additional costs purely for their existence or use, unless they require additional services or software that come with their own costs.