> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.latitude.sh/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Out-of-band

Out-of-Band (OOB) gives you direct access to your server’s hardware-level serial console over SSH.

This lets you see and interact with the system before and during boot, including BIOS, GRUB, and early kernel output. Out-of-band automatically enables a serial login on the server after boot, so you can also use OOB to administer Linux even when normal SSH is unavailable.

### What to expect

A Serial-over-LAN console behaves differently from a normal SSH session:

* It is lower bandwidth and may refresh slowly
* The BIOS interface appears in text mode
* Keystrokes may feel slightly delayed
* It looks like a normal terminal after login, but it is still a serial console
* Graphical KVM output is not available here (use [Remote Access](/servers/remote-access) instead)

Despite these limitations, OOB provides full control of the machine at every boot stage. For full graphical keyboard-video-mouse access, use Remote Access.

## Requirements

To access your server’s serial console you need:

* An SSH key (configured in your Latitude.sh account) to open the OOB connection
* An OS user password set on the server — required to log in to Linux through the serial console

<Warning>
  Servers deployed with only an SSH key don’t have an OS password by default. Before relying on OOB to log in after boot, SSH into the server and set one — run `passwd` to set the root password, or `sudo passwd <user>` for another OS user.
</Warning>

If you lost your root password, use [Rescue mode](/servers/rescue-mode) to reset it.

## Creating an OOB connection

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1. Go to the server page, click the **Recovery** tab, and select **Out-of-Band**.
2. Select your SSH key and click **Enable out-of-band**.
3. Wait until the process finishes and the status change from **Connecting** to **Connected**.

## Using the console

Copy the command snippet from the side panel on your terminal. It will look similar to this:

```shell theme={null}
ssh <server_id>@<server_ip> -p 2222
```

If OOB is active, you will see:

```shell theme={null}
[SOL Session operational. Use ~? for help]
```

### Capabilities

#### Before boot

You can:

* Change boot order
* Inspect hardware setup

When you reboot you can:

* Enter BIOS (DEL/ESC)
* View POST and GRUB

#### After boot

Hit <kbd>Enter</kbd> to see the Linux login prompt:

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/latitudesh/GM0FinvY4oaPgX2y/images/product/52.Docs25Q4.Outofband.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=GM0FinvY4oaPgX2y&q=85&s=8c25644cc50db933fb7ee5803684f489" alt="A login prompt when using OOB." width="1224" height="316" data-path="images/product/52.Docs25Q4.Outofband.png" />

Log in with the OS user password you set on the server (`root` or another user with a password). This gives you a full Linux shell, identical in function to SSH but running on the serial console (ttyS0) instead of a network connection.

## Ending the session

To close the OOB session:

```shell theme={null}
~.
```

(tilde, then dot)