What should be done to troubleshoot Cloud Logging issues for a Compute Engine instance with a user-managed service account?

To troubleshoot Cloud Logging issues for a Compute Engine instance that uses a user-managed service account, adding the Logs Writer role to the service account is a critical step. This role provides the necessary permissions for the service account to write logs to Cloud Logging. Without these permissions, even if the service account is correctly configured and the instance is running, it won't be able to log events, resulting in troubleshooting complications.

Ensuring that the service account has the appropriate permissions is foundational for successful logging. If the service account lacks these permissions, you may see incomplete or absent logs when you check Cloud Logging, making it essential to assign the Logs Writer role specifically.

On the other hand, exporting the service account key may allow for authentication with third-party services but does not directly address permission-related issues. Similarly, updating the instance to use the default service account would not necessarily resolve the logging issue unless the default account has the required permissions. Lastly, enabling Private Google Access is useful for instances without external IP addresses needing to reach Google services, but it does not directly influence the permissions required for logging operations. Therefore, ensuring the service account has the Logs Writer role is the correct approach to resolve the logging issues effectively.