<h3>Background</h3>

<p>When using cloud services such as AWS or Azure your ability to access the console of booting instances is typically restricted to a read-only type of interaction. </p>

<p>AWS does provide tools, so you just need to adjust your approach, if you're expecting to drop to single user mode or watch a booting system on a console.</p>

<p>For example, in the EC2 services area of AWS you can select a EC2 instance and then under the actions menu select either:</p>

<ul>
<li>Get System Log</li>
<li>Get Instance Screenshot</li>
</ul>

<h3>Example</h3>

<strong>Step 1: Screenshot of actions menu</strong>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/CR8Bg.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/CR8Bg.png" alt="ss#1"></a></p>

<strong>Step 2: Screenshot of "System Log"</strong>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/SF1NB.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/SF1NB.png" alt="ss#2"></a></p>

<strong>Step 3: Screenshot of "instance's console"</strong>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/fYFsr.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/fYFsr.png" alt="ss#3"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-21T15:12:12.413Z
2019-03-21T16:05:49.073Z
2019-03-21T16:05:49.073Z
slm
<p>I'm new to AWS and am looking for a way to access my EC2's console so I can triage issues such:</p>

<ul>
<li>boot to single user mode</li>
<li>view console output as system boots</li>
<li>gain console access to debug GRUB issues</li>
</ul>

<amazon-web-services><amazon-ec2><linux>
How can I access the console of a booting EC2 instance in AWS?
slm
# How can I access the console of a booting EC2 instance in AWS?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-03-21)

I'm new to AWS and am looking for a way to access my EC2's console so I can triage issues such:

* boot to single user mode
* view console output as system boots
* gain console access to debug GRUB issues

**Tags:** amazon-web-services, amazon-ec2, linux


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2019-03-21. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

### Background

When using cloud services such as AWS or Azure your ability to access the console of booting instances is typically restricted to a read-only type of interaction.

AWS does provide tools, so you just need to adjust your approach, if you're expecting to drop to single user mode or watch a booting system on a console.

For example, in the EC2 services area of AWS you can select a EC2 instance and then under the actions menu select either:

* Get System Log
* Get Instance Screenshot

### Example

**Step 1: Screenshot of actions menu**

[![ss#1](https://i.sstatic.net/CR8Bg.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/CR8Bg.png)

**Step 2: Screenshot of "System Log"**

[![ss#2](https://i.sstatic.net/SF1NB.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/SF1NB.png)

**Step 3: Screenshot of "instance's console"**

[![ss#3](https://i.sstatic.net/fYFsr.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/fYFsr.png)


---

