> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.exavault.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.exavault.com/administration/restarting-the-appliance.md).

# Restarting the Appliance

A hard reboot (for example, a "hard restart" in VMware) can leave services unable to restart correctly. Use the graceful procedure below so the appliance shuts down cleanly and your data stays consistent across reboots.

Connect to the appliance over SSH on port 10022, or through the virtual console provided by your VM environment.

To connect over SSH, open a terminal or command prompt and run:

```bash
ssh -p 10022 user_name@domain_name
```

For virtual-console access, follow the documentation for your virtualization environment.

Sign in. If you do not know the username and password, [contact ExaVault Support](mailto:support@exavault.com). Then run:

```bash
sudo exavaultctl -o restart
```

The restart can take up to 10 minutes.