# Installing Other Software

The ExaVault appliance is provided as a virtual machine image for VMWare or cloud marketplaces such as AWS, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure, and requires minimal ongoing server maintenance.

When you install the ExaVault appliance, you have full administrator access to the virtual machine as the "root" user. This grants you access to make any changes to the virtual machine through the server console or SSH.

We don't encourage installing custom software on the ExaVault appliance, though we know some organizations require specific software to be included when adding the appliance to their infrastructure.

If you must install software beyond what is included on the virtual machine, two drawbacks apply.

## Service Dependencies and Environment Stability

The appliance contains a number of services that rely upon a specific system configuration to function predictably. Installing other software can have unforeseen interactions with the ExaVault services. For example, if your custom software interferes with the [required firewall configuration](/installing-and-upgrading-the-appliance/firewall-configuration.md), file transfers can be disrupted.

## Version-Dependent Update Process

The approach to updates depends on which version of the appliance you are running. If you are running a version prior to 18.1, updating ExaVault versions requires installing a new virtual machine. As a result, you'll have to re-install all your custom software each time you update ExaVault from a version lower than 18.1.

If you're already on version 18.1 or higher, ExaVault updates can be applied automatically without replacing the entire virtual machine, which means your custom software won't need to be re-installed repeatedly.


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
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```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.