diff --git a/src/client/ply-boot-client.c b/src/client/ply-boot-client.c

index 2b1d075..c6b3075 100644

--- a/src/client/ply-boot-client.c

+++ b/src/client/ply-boot-client.c

@@ -282,6 +282,10 @@ ply_boot_client_process_incoming_replies (ply_boot_client_t *client)

       ((ply_boot_client_answer_handler_t) request->handler) (request->user_data, answer, client);

     }

+  else if (memcmp (byte, PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_RESPONSE_TYPE_NO_ANSWER, sizeof (uint8_t)) == 0)

+    {

+      ((ply_boot_client_answer_handler_t) request->handler) (request->user_data, NULL, client);

+    }

   else

     goto out;

diff --git a/src/client/plymouth.c b/src/client/plymouth.c

index c343378..33deb24 100644

--- a/src/client/plymouth.c

+++ b/src/client/plymouth.c

@@ -102,9 +102,16 @@ answer_via_command (answer_state_t *answer_state,

   pid_t pid;

   int command_input_sender_fd, command_input_receiver_fd;

+  /* answer may be NULL which means,

+   * "The daemon can't ask the user questions,

+   *   do all the prompting from the client"

+   */

+

   gave_answer = false;

-  if (!ply_open_unidirectional_pipe (&command_input_sender_fd,

-                                     &command_input_receiver_fd))  return false;

+  if (answer != NULL &&

+    !ply_open_unidirectional_pipe (&command_input_sender_fd,

+                                   &command_input_receiver_fd))

+    return false;

   pid = fork (); 

@@ -114,21 +121,29 @@ answer_via_command (answer_state_t *answer_state,

   if (pid == 0)

     {

       char **args;

-      close (command_input_sender_fd);

       args = split_string (answer_state->command, ' ');

-      dup2 (command_input_receiver_fd, STDIN_FILENO);

+      if (answer != NULL)

+        {

+          close (command_input_sender_fd);

+          dup2 (command_input_receiver_fd, STDIN_FILENO);

+        }

       execvp (args[0], args); 

       ply_trace ("could not run command: %m");

       _exit (127);

     }

-  close (command_input_receiver_fd);

-  if (write (command_input_sender_fd, answer, strlen (answer)) < 0)

-    goto out;

+  if (answer != NULL)

+    {

+      close (command_input_receiver_fd);

+

+      if (write (command_input_sender_fd, answer, strlen (answer)) < 0)

+        goto out;

+    }

   gave_answer = true;

 out:

-  close (command_input_sender_fd);

+  if (answer != NULL)

+    close (command_input_sender_fd);

   waitpid (pid, exit_status, 0); 

   return gave_answer;

diff --git a/src/libplybootsplash/ply-answer.c b/src/libplybootsplash/ply-answer.c

index 9213875..24a56f6 100644

--- a/src/libplybootsplash/ply-answer.c

+++ b/src/libplybootsplash/ply-answer.c

@@ -69,6 +69,15 @@ ply_answer_with_string (ply_answer_t *answer,

 }

+void

+ply_answer_unknown (ply_answer_t *answer)

+{

+  assert (answer != NULL);

+

+  if (answer->handler != NULL)

+    answer->handler (answer->user_data, NULL, answer);

+}

+

 #ifdef PLY_ANSWER_ENABLE_TEST

 #include <stdio.h>

diff --git a/src/libplybootsplash/ply-answer.h b/src/libplybootsplash/ply-answer.h

index 4e04a75..3da41f3 100644

--- a/src/libplybootsplash/ply-answer.h

+++ b/src/libplybootsplash/ply-answer.h

@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ void ply_answer_free (ply_answer_t *answer);

 void ply_answer_with_string (ply_answer_t *answer,

                              const char   *string);

+

+void ply_answer_unknown (ply_answer_t *answer);

 #endif

 #endif /* PLY_ANSWER_H */

diff --git a/src/main.c b/src/main.c

index fffa0c4..e11f964 100644

--- a/src/main.c

+++ b/src/main.c

@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ typedef struct

   char kernel_command_line[PLY_MAX_COMMAND_LINE_SIZE];

   uint32_t showing_details : 1;

   uint32_t system_initialized : 1;

+  uint32_t using_serial_console : 1;

   int number_of_errors;

 } state_t;

@@ -205,6 +206,12 @@ plymouth_should_show_default_splash (state_t *state)

   };

   int i;

+  if (state->using_serial_console)

+    return false;

+

+  if (state->window == NULL)

+    return false;

+

   for (i = 0; strings[i] != NULL; i++)

     {

       int cmp;

@@ -228,10 +235,11 @@ static void

 on_show_splash (state_t *state)

 {

-  if (state->window == NULL)

+  if (state->window == NULL && !state->using_serial_console)

     {

       state->window = create_window (state, 1);

-      ply_window_take_console (state->window);

+      if (state->window != NULL)

+        ply_window_take_console (state->window);

     }

   if (plymouth_should_show_default_splash (state))

@@ -353,10 +361,8 @@ create_window (state_t    *state,

   ply_trace ("opening window");

   if (!ply_window_open (window))

     {

-      ply_save_errno ();

       ply_trace ("could not open window: %m");

       ply_window_free (window);

-      ply_restore_errno ();

       return NULL;

     }

@@ -467,6 +473,23 @@ check_verbosity (state_t *state)

     ply_trace ("tracing shouldn't be enabled!");

 }

+static void

+check_for_serial_console (state_t *state)

+{

+  ply_trace ("checking if splash screen should be disabled");

+

+  if (strstr (state->kernel_command_line, " console=") != NULL)

+    {

+      ply_trace ("serial console found!");

+      state->using_serial_console = true;

+    }

+  else

+    {

+      ply_trace ("serial console not found!");

+      state->using_serial_console = false;

+    }

+}

+

 static bool

 set_console_io_to_vt1 (state_t *state)

 {

@@ -493,9 +516,13 @@ initialize_environment (state_t *state)

     return false;

   check_verbosity (state);

+  check_for_serial_console (state);

-  if (!set_console_io_to_vt1 (state))

-    return false;

+  if (!state->using_serial_console)

+    {

+      if (!set_console_io_to_vt1 (state))

+          return false;

+    }

   ply_trace ("initialized minimal work environment");

   return true;

diff --git a/src/ply-boot-protocol.h b/src/ply-boot-protocol.h

index 594064a..852b9d9 100644

--- a/src/ply-boot-protocol.h

+++ b/src/ply-boot-protocol.h

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@

 #define PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_RESPONSE_TYPE_ACK "\x6"

 #define PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_RESPONSE_TYPE_NAK "\x15"

 #define PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_RESPONSE_TYPE_ANSWER "\x2"

+#define PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_RESPONSE_TYPE_NO_ANSWER "\x5"

 #endif /* PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_H */

 /* vim: set ts=4 sw=4 expandtab autoindent cindent cino={.5s,(0: */

diff --git a/src/ply-boot-server.c b/src/ply-boot-server.c

index 29f402e..6e39f86 100644

--- a/src/ply-boot-server.c

+++ b/src/ply-boot-server.c

@@ -197,21 +197,34 @@ ply_boot_connection_on_password_answer (ply_boot_connection_t *connection,

   size_t size;

-  /* FIXME: support up to 4 billion

+  /* splash plugin isn't able to ask for password,

+   * punt to client

    */

-  if (strlen (password) > 255)

-    ply_error ("password to long to fit in buffer");

-

-  size = (uint8_t) strlen (password);

-

-  if (!ply_write (connection->fd,

-                  PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_RESPONSE_TYPE_ANSWER,

-                  strlen (PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_RESPONSE_TYPE_ANSWER)) ||

-      !ply_write (connection->fd,

-                  &size, sizeof (uint8_t)) ||

-      !ply_write (connection->fd,

-                  password, size))

-    ply_error ("could not write bytes: %m");

+  if (password == NULL)

+    {

+      if (!ply_write (connection->fd,

+                      PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_RESPONSE_TYPE_NO_ANSWER,

+                      strlen (PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_RESPONSE_TYPE_NO_ANSWER)))

+        ply_error ("could not write bytes: %m");

+    }

+  else

+    {

+      /* FIXME: support up to 4 billion

+      */

+      if (strlen (password) > 255)

+          ply_error ("password to long to fit in buffer");

+

+      size = (uint8_t) strlen (password);

+

+      if (!ply_write (connection->fd,

+                      PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_RESPONSE_TYPE_ANSWER,

+                      strlen (PLY_BOOT_PROTOCOL_RESPONSE_TYPE_ANSWER)) ||

+          !ply_write (connection->fd,

+                      &size, sizeof (uint8_t)) ||

+          !ply_write (connection->fd,

+                      password, size))

+          ply_error ("could not write bytes: %m");

+    }

   ply_answer_free (answer);

 }

diff --git a/src/ply-boot-splash.c b/src/ply-boot-splash.c

index 8ccaf6c..3fd6331 100644

--- a/src/ply-boot-splash.c

+++ b/src/ply-boot-splash.c

@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ ply_boot_splash_ask_for_password (ply_boot_splash_t *splash,

   if (splash->plugin_interface->ask_for_password == NULL)

     {

-      ply_answer_with_string (answer, "");

+      ply_answer_unknown (answer);

       return;

     }

diff --git a/src/splash-plugins/details/plugin.c b/src/splash-plugins/details/plugin.c

index 3bfb14d..ae52b15 100644

--- a/src/splash-plugins/details/plugin.c

+++ b/src/splash-plugins/details/plugin.c

@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@

 #define CLEAR_LINE_SEQUENCE "\033[2K\r\n"

 #define BACKSPACE "\b\033[0K"

+void ask_for_password (ply_boot_splash_plugin_t *plugin,

+                       ply_answer_t             *answer);

+

+ply_boot_splash_plugin_interface_t *ply_boot_splash_plugin_get_interface (void);

 struct _ply_boot_splash_plugin

 {

   ply_event_loop_t *loop;

@@ -136,17 +140,26 @@ show_splash_screen (ply_boot_splash_plugin_t *plugin,

   assert (plugin != NULL);

-  ply_window_set_mode (window, PLY_WINDOW_MODE_TEXT);

+  if (window != NULL)

+    {

+      ply_boot_splash_plugin_interface_t *interface;

+

+      ply_window_set_mode (window, PLY_WINDOW_MODE_TEXT);

-  ply_window_set_keyboard_input_handler (window,

-                                         (ply_window_keyboard_input_handler_t)

-                                         on_keyboard_input, plugin);

-  ply_window_set_backspace_handler (window,

-                                    (ply_window_backspace_handler_t)

-                                    on_backspace, plugin);

-  ply_window_set_enter_handler (window,

-                                (ply_window_enter_handler_t)

-                                on_enter, plugin);

+      ply_window_set_keyboard_input_handler (window,

+                                             (ply_window_keyboard_input_handler_t)

+                                             on_keyboard_input, plugin);

+      ply_window_set_backspace_handler (window,

+                                        (ply_window_backspace_handler_t)

+                                        on_backspace, plugin);

+      ply_window_set_enter_handler (window,

+                                    (ply_window_enter_handler_t)

+                                    on_enter, plugin);

+

+      interface = ply_boot_splash_plugin_get_interface ();

+

+      interface->ask_for_password = ask_for_password;

+    }

   plugin->loop = loop;

@@ -223,7 +236,6 @@ ply_boot_splash_plugin_get_interface (void)

       .update_status = update_status,

       .on_boot_output = on_boot_output,

       .hide_splash_screen = hide_splash_screen,

-      .ask_for_password = ask_for_password,

     };

   return &plugin_interface;