---
title: Troubleshooting common Elastic Metal server access issues
description: Common access issues encountered with Scaleway Elastic Metal servers and their solutions.
tags: elastic-metal troubleshooting access
dates:
  validation: 2025-08-11
  posted: 2025-02-05
---

## Problem
You are unable to access your Scaleway Elastic Metal server.

### Symptoms
- SSH connection fails with a timeout or authentication error.
- The server does not respond to ping requests.
- Remote console access is unavailable or unresponsive.
- You cannot log in with the root credentials.
- Network services appear unreachable.

## Possible causes
- Incorrect SSH key or credentials.
- Firewall rules blocking access.
- Network configuration issues.
- The server is in recovery mode or powered off.
- Scaleway’s infrastructure experiencing temporary issues.

## Solution

#### Verify SSH access
- Ensure you are using the correct SSH key and username.
- Run `ssh -v root@<server-ip>` to enable verbose mode and check for errors.
- If you recently changed your SSH key, update it in the Scaleway console.

#### Check network connectivity
- Try pinging your server’s IP address: `ping <server-ip>`.
- Use `traceroute <server-ip>` to diagnose network routing issues.
- If your server has a Private Network, ensure you are connecting from the correct subnet.

#### Review firewall and security settings
- Verify your firewall rules using `iptables -L -v -n` or `ufw status`.
- Check if SSH access is restricted to specific IPs in `/etc/ssh/sshd_config`.
- If necessary, disable firewall rules temporarily to test connectivity.

#### Use the remote access feature
- If your server is equipped with [remote access](/elastic-metal/how-to/activate-remote-access/), activate the feature to visualize the screen output of the server.
- Access the remote console from the Scaleway console.
- Log in and check the system logs (`journalctl -xe`) for access-related errors.
- If the server is in **recovery mode**, reboot it into **normal mode**.

#### Ensure the server is powered on
- In the Scaleway console, confirm that your server is running.
- If the server is powered off, try restarting it manually.

#### Contact Scaleway Support
If you still cannot access your server, contact [technical support](https://console.scaleway.com/support) with:
  - Your server ID and IP address.
  - SSH error messages.
  - Logs from the remote console.