# Task 3: Configure the load balancing service When you configure the load balancing service, your virtual machine instances will receive packets that are destined for the static external IP address you configure. Instances made with a Compute Engine image are automatically configured to handle this IP address. For more information, see Setting Up Network Load Balancing. 1. Create a static external IP address for your load balancer: ``` gcloud compute addresses create network-lb-ip-1 \ --region us-central1 ``` (Output) ``` Created [https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/qwiklabs-gcp-03-xxxxxxxxxxx/regions/us-central1/addresses/network-lb-ip-1]. ``` 2. Add a legacy HTTP health check resource: ```gcloud compute http-health-checks create basic-check``` 3. Add a target pool in the same region as your instances. Run the following to create the target pool and use the health check, which is required for the service to function: ``` gcloud compute target-pools create www-pool \ --region us-central1 --http-health-check basic-check ``` 4. Add the instances to the pool: ``` gcloud compute target-pools add-instances www-pool \ --instances www1,www2,www3 ``` 5. Add a forwarding rule: ``` gcloud compute forwarding-rules create www-rule \ --region us-central1 \ --ports 80 \ --address network-lb-ip-1 \ --target-pool www-pool ```