diff --git a/cmds.go b/cmds.go
index 8157dd8..50c4461 100644
--- a/cmds.go
+++ b/cmds.go
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"net"
 	"os"
-	//"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
 	"strings"
@@ -80,6 +79,7 @@ func cmdInit() int {
 	m.OSType = "Linux26_64"
 	m.CPUs = uint(runtime.NumCPU())
 	m.Memory = B2D.Memory
+	m.SerialFile = B2D.SerialFile
 
 	m.Flag |= vbx.F_pae
 	m.Flag |= vbx.F_longmode // important: use x86-64 processor
@@ -232,17 +232,40 @@ func cmdUp() int {
 		return 1
 	}
 
-	logf("Waiting for SSH server to start...")
-	addr := fmt.Sprintf("localhost:%d", m.SSHPort)
-	const n = 10
-	// Try to connect to the SSH 10 times at 3 sec interval before giving up.
-	if err := read(addr, n, 3*time.Second); err != nil {
-		logf("Failed to connect to SSH port at %s after %d attempts. Last error: %v", addr, n, err)
+	if err := m.Refresh(); err != nil {
+		logf("Failed to start machine %q: %s", B2D.VM, err)
+		return 1
+	}
+	if m.State != vbx.Running {
+		logf("Failed to start machine %q (run again with -v for details)", B2D.VM)
 		return 1
 	}
 
+	logf("Waiting for VM to be started...")
+	//give the VM a little time to start, so we don't kill the Serial Pipe/Socket
+	time.Sleep(2)
+	natSSH := fmt.Sprintf("localhost:%d", B2D.SSHPort)
+	IP := ""
+	for i := 1; i < 30; i++ {
+		if B2D.Serial && runtime.GOOS != "windows" {
+			if IP = RequestIPFromSerialPort(m.SerialFile); IP != "" {
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		if err := read(natSSH, 1, 1*time.Second); err == nil {
+			IP = RequestIPFromSSH(m)
+			break
+		}
+
+		print(".")
+	}
+	print("\n")
+
 	logf("Started.")
 
+	if IP == "" {
+		logf("Auto detection of the VM's IP address.")
+	}
 	switch runtime.GOOS {
 	case "windows":
 		logf("Docker client does not run on Windows for now. Please use")
@@ -250,9 +273,9 @@ func cmdUp() int {
 		logf("to SSH into the VM instead.")
 	default:
 		// Check if $DOCKER_HOST ENV var is properly configured.
-		if os.Getenv("DOCKER_HOST") != fmt.Sprintf("tcp://localhost:%d", m.DockerPort) {
+		if os.Getenv("DOCKER_HOST") != fmt.Sprintf("tcp://%s:%d", IP, m.DockerPort) {
 			logf("To connect the Docker client to the Docker daemon, please set:")
-			logf("    export DOCKER_HOST=tcp://localhost:%d", m.DockerPort)
+			logf("    export DOCKER_HOST=tcp://%s:%d", IP, m.DockerPort)
 		}
 	}
 	return 0
@@ -433,6 +456,33 @@ func cmdIP() int {
 		return 1
 	}
 
+	IP := ""
+	if B2D.Serial {
+		for i := 1; i < 20; i++ {
+			if runtime.GOOS != "windows" {
+				if IP = RequestIPFromSerialPort(m.SerialFile); IP != "" {
+					break
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	if IP == "" {
+		IP = RequestIPFromSSH(m)
+	}
+	if IP != "" {
+		errf("\nThe VM's Host only interface IP address is: ")
+		fmt.Printf("%s", IP)
+		errf("\n\n")
+	} else {
+		errf("\nFailed to get VM Host only IP address.\n")
+		errf("\tWas the VM initilized using boot2docker?\n")
+	}
+	return 0
+}
+
+func RequestIPFromSSH(m *vbx.Machine) string {
+	// fall back to using the NAT port forwarded ssh
 	out, err := cmd(B2D.SSH,
 		//"-vvv", //TODO: add if its boot2docker -v
 		"-o", "StrictHostKeyChecking=no",
@@ -442,25 +492,21 @@ func cmdIP() int {
 		"docker@localhost",
 		"ip addr show dev eth1",
 	)
+	IP := ""
 	if err != nil {
 		logf("%s", err)
-		return 1
-	}
-	// parse to find: inet 192.168.59.103/24 brd 192.168.59.255 scope global eth1
-	lines := strings.Split(out, "\n")
-	for _, line := range lines {
-		vals := strings.Split(strings.TrimSpace(line), " ")
-		if vals[0] == "inet" {
-			ip := vals[1][:strings.Index(vals[1], "/")]
-			errf("\nThe VM's Host only interface IP address is: ")
-			fmt.Printf("%s", ip)
-			errf("\n\n")
-			return 0
+	} else {
+		// parse to find: inet 192.168.59.103/24 brd 192.168.59.255 scope global eth1
+		lines := strings.Split(out, "\n")
+		for _, line := range lines {
+			vals := strings.Split(strings.TrimSpace(line), " ")
+			if len(vals) >= 2 && vals[0] == "inet" {
+				IP = vals[1][:strings.Index(vals[1], "/")]
+				break
+			}
 		}
 	}
-	errf("\nFailed to get VM Host only IP address.\n")
-	errf("\tWas the VM initilized using boot2docker?\n")
-	return 0
+	return IP
 }
 
 // Download the boot2docker ISO image.
diff --git a/config.go b/config.go
index 77196fc..298a5a5 100644
--- a/config.go
+++ b/config.go
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ var B2D struct {
 	LowerIP     net.IP
 	UpperIP     net.IP
 	DHCPEnabled bool
+
+	// Serial console pipe/socket
+	Serial     bool
+	SerialFile string
 }
 
 var (
@@ -138,6 +142,14 @@ func config() (*flag.FlagSet, error) {
 	flags.IPVar(&B2D.LowerIP, "lowerip", net.ParseIP("192.168.59.103"), "VirtualBox host-only network DHCP lower bound.")
 	flags.IPVar(&B2D.UpperIP, "upperip", net.ParseIP("192.168.59.254"), "VirtualBox host-only network DHCP upper bound.")
 
+	if runtime.GOOS != "windows" {
+		//SerialFile ~~ filepath.Join(dir, B2D.vm+".sock")
+		flags.StringVar(&B2D.SerialFile, "serialfile", "", "path to the serial socket/pipe.")
+		flags.BoolVar(&B2D.Serial, "serial", false, "try serial console to get IP address (experimental)")
+	} else {
+		B2D.Serial = false
+	}
+
 	// Set the defaults
 	if err := flags.Parse([]string{}); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -164,6 +176,16 @@ func config() (*flag.FlagSet, error) {
 
 	vbx.Verbose = B2D.Verbose
 	vbx.VBM = B2D.VBM
+
+	if B2D.SerialFile == "" {
+		if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+			//SerialFile ~~ filepath.Join(dir, B2D.vm+".sock")
+			B2D.SerialFile = `\\.\pipe\` + B2D.VM
+		} else {
+			B2D.SerialFile = filepath.Join(dir, B2D.VM+".sock")
+		}
+	}
+
 	return flags, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/util.go b/util.go
index e37cbca..5b1ebde 100644
--- a/util.go
+++ b/util.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 )
@@ -167,3 +168,72 @@ func CopyFile(src, dst string) (int64, error) {
 	defer df.Close()
 	return io.Copy(df, sf)
 }
+
+func reader(r io.Reader) {
+	buf := make([]byte, 1024)
+	for {
+		_, err := io.ReadAtLeast(r, buf[:], 20)
+		if err != nil {
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// use the serial port socket to ask what the VM's host only IP is
+func RequestIPFromSerialPort(socket string) string {
+	c, err := net.Dial("unix", socket)
+
+	if err != nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	defer c.Close()
+	c.SetDeadline(time.Now().Add(time.Second))
+
+	line := ""
+	_, err = c.Write([]byte("\r"))
+	_, err = c.Write([]byte("docker\r"))
+
+	IP := ""
+	fullLog := ""
+
+	for IP == "" {
+		_, err := c.Write([]byte("ip addr show dev eth1\r"))
+		if err != nil {
+			println(err)
+			break
+		}
+		time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
+		buf := make([]byte, 1024)
+		for {
+			n, err := c.Read(buf[:])
+			if err != nil {
+				return IP
+			}
+			line = line + string(buf[0:n])
+			fullLog += string(buf[0:n])
+			if strings.Contains(line, "\n") {
+				//go looking for the string we want, and chomp line to after the \n
+				if i := strings.IndexAny(line, "\n"); i != -1 {
+					//     inet 10.180.1.3/16 brd 10.180.255.255 scope global wlan0
+					inet := regexp.MustCompile(`^[\t ]*inet ([0-9.]*).*$`)
+					if ip := inet.FindStringSubmatch(line[:i]); ip != nil {
+						IP = ip[1]
+						// clean up
+						break
+					} else {
+						line = line[i+1:]
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+	}
+	go reader(c)
+	//give us time reader clean up
+	time.Sleep(1)
+	if IP == "" && B2D.Verbose {
+		logf(fullLog)
+	}
+
+	return IP
+}
diff --git a/virtualbox/machine.go b/virtualbox/machine.go
index 6e106ac..b5b42db 100644
--- a/virtualbox/machine.go
+++ b/virtualbox/machine.go
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ type Machine struct {
 	BootOrder  []string // max 4 slots, each in {none|floppy|dvd|disk|net}
 	DockerPort uint
 	SSHPort    uint
+	SerialFile string
 }
 
 // Refresh reloads the machine information.
@@ -92,6 +93,11 @@ func (m *Machine) Start() error {
 	case Poweroff, Saved, Aborted:
 		return vbm("startvm", m.Name, "--type", "headless")
 	}
+	if err := m.Refresh(); err == nil {
+		if m.State != Running {
+			return fmt.Errorf("Failed to start", m.Name)
+		}
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -251,6 +257,12 @@ func GetMachine(id string) (*Machine, error) {
 				return nil, err
 			}
 			m.SSHPort = uint(n)
+		case "uartmode1":
+			// uartmode1="server,/home/sven/.boot2docker/boot2docker-vm.sock"
+			vals := strings.Split(val, ",")
+			if len(vals) >= 2 {
+				m.SerialFile = vals[1]
+				}
 		}
 	}
 	if err := s.Err(); err != nil {
@@ -345,6 +357,13 @@ func (m *Machine) Modify() error {
 		"--accelerate3d", m.Flag.Get(F_accelerate3d),
 	}
 
+	//if runtime.GOOS != "windows" {
+	args = append(args,
+		"--uart1", "0x3F8", "4",
+		"--uartmode1", "server", m.SerialFile,
+	)
+	//}
+
 	for i, dev := range m.BootOrder {
 		if i > 3 {
 			break // Only four slots `--boot{1,2,3,4}`. Ignore the rest.