In order to see the console output of an instance, regardless of whether or not the console log has output, either VNC or SPICE is used. This allows for relaying keyboard and mouse activity to and from the instance in question. There are three common remote console access methods in use with OpenStack: novnc An in-browser VNC client implemented using HTML5 Canvas and WebSockets spice A complete in-browser client solution for interaction with virtualized instances xvpvnc A Java client offering console access to an instance Example: To access an instance through a remote console, run the following command: $ nova get-vnc-console INSTANCE_NAME VNC_TYPE The command returns a URL from which you can access your instance: +--------+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Type | Url | +--------+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | xvpvnc | http://192.168.5.96:6081/console?token=c83ae3a3-15c4-4890-8d45-aefb494a8d6c | +--------+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ VNC_TYPE can be replaced by any of the above values as connection types. When using SPICE to view the console of an instance, a browser plugin can be used directly on the instance page, or the get-vnc-console command can be used with it, as well, by returning a token-authenticated address such as the one above. For further information and comparisons (including security considerations, please see the security guide.