Specifies the starting byte position of the output to return. To start with the first byte of output to the specified port, omit this field or set it to 0. If the output for that byte position is available, this field matches the start parameter sent with the request. If the amount of serial console output exceeds the size of the buffer (1 MB), the oldest output is discarded and is no longer available. If the requested start position refers to discarded output, the start position is adjusted to the oldest output still available, and the adjusted start position is returned as the start property value. You can also provide a negative start position, which translates to the most recent number of bytes written to the serial port. For example, -3 is interpreted as the most recent 3 bytes written to the serial console.
Raised exceptions
Exceptions
ConnectionError
In case of a network problem (such as DNS failure or refused connection).
HttpError
If the response status is >= 400 (excluding 429 and 503).
TimeoutError
If a long-running operation takes longer to finish than the specified timeout limit.
TypeError
If an operation or function receives an argument of the wrong type.
ValueError
If an operation or function receives an argument of the right type but an inappropriate value. For example, a negative timeout.
Response
If successful, the response contains an instance of SerialPortOutput.
Subworkflow snippet
Some fields might be optional or required.
To identify required fields, refer to the API documentation.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-09-04 UTC."],[],[],null,["# Method: googleapis.compute.v1.instances.getSerialPortOutput\n\nReturns the last 1 MB of serial port output from the specified instance.\n\nArguments\n---------\n\nRaised exceptions\n-----------------\n\nResponse\n--------\n\nIf successful, the response contains an instance of [`SerialPortOutput`](/workflows/docs/reference/googleapis/compute/v1/Overview#SerialPortOutput).\n\nSubworkflow snippet\n-------------------\n\nSome fields might be optional or required.\nTo identify required fields, refer to the [API documentation](https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/reference/rest/v1/instances/getSerialPortOutput). \n\n### YAML\n\n```yaml\n- getSerialPortOutput:\n call: googleapis.compute.v1.instances.getSerialPortOutput\n args:\n instance: ...\n project: ...\n zone: ...\n port: ...\n start: ...\n result: getSerialPortOutputResult\n```\n\n### JSON\n\n```json\n[\n {\n \"getSerialPortOutput\": {\n \"call\": \"googleapis.compute.v1.instances.getSerialPortOutput\",\n \"args\": {\n \"instance\": \"...\",\n \"project\": \"...\",\n \"zone\": \"...\",\n \"port\": \"...\",\n \"start\": \"...\"\n },\n \"result\": \"getSerialPortOutputResult\"\n }\n }\n]\n```"]]