Quick answers to common questions about Siovos Desktop, licenses, deployment, and usage.

Siovos Desktop is a desktop application that automates the deployment of production-ready infrastructure stacks (Kubernetes, VPN, databases, registries, etc.) on your own servers. It simplifies complex DevOps workflows into a guided wizard experience.

What operating systems are supported?#

Siovos Desktop runs on:

macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later
Windows 10 or later
Linux (most distributions with AppImage support)

Target servers must run Debian 13.

Do I need prior DevOps or Kubernetes experience?#

No! Siovos Desktop is designed for developers and teams who want to deploy infrastructure without deep DevOps expertise. The wizard guides you through each step. However, basic familiarity with servers, SSH, and command-line concepts is helpful.

Is my data secure?#

Yes, absolutely:

All infrastructure is deployed to your own servers
SSH keys and credentials are stored encrypted on your local machine
No infrastructure data passes through Siovos servers
Only license validation requires internet connectivity
All deployment traffic is encrypted (SSH + HTTPS)

Licensing#

What are the differences between plans?#

Feature	Starter	Professional	Enterprise
Core Services (K3s, VPN, PostgreSQL)	✅	✅	✅
Harbor, Rancher, Step-CA	❌	✅	✅
Monitoring, Vault, ArgoCD	❌	❌	✅
Max Devices	3	10	Unlimited
Max Servers	1	3	Unlimited

Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan?#

Yes! You can upgrade anytime through your account dashboard. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period.

Can I use Siovos Desktop offline?#

Mostly yes. License validation requires occasional internet connectivity (once every few days), but deployments themselves can run offline once validated.

What happens if my subscription expires?#

If your subscription expires:

Existing deployments continue running (they're on your servers)
You can still access deployed services via VPN
You cannot deploy new infrastructure or update existing deployments
Siovos Desktop will show a renewal reminder

Do you offer refunds?#

Digital licenses are delivered instantly, so standard refunds don't apply once activated. That said, if you encounter technical issues we can't resolve, or haven't activated your license yet, we're happy to discuss your situation. Just email support@siovos.com within 14 days.

Deployment#

What server specifications do I need?#

Minimum requirements:

CPU: 2 cores
RAM: 8GB (4GB absolute minimum, but not recommended)
Disk: 40GB SSD
OS: Debian 13
Network: Public IP address

Recommended for production:

CPU: 4+ cores
RAM: 16GB
Disk: 100GB SSD

How long does a deployment take?#

Typical deployment times:

Core services only: 15-20 minutes
Professional tier (with Harbor, Rancher): 25-35 minutes
Enterprise tier (full stack): 35-45 minutes

First deployments may take longer as packages are downloaded. Subsequent deployments are faster.

Can I deploy to multiple servers?#

Yes, depending on your plan:

Starter: 1 server
Professional: 3 servers
Enterprise: Unlimited servers

Can I choose which services to deploy?#

Yes! Siovos Desktop offers two ways to configure your deployment:

Deployment Profiles (Recommended): Pre-configured profiles for common use cases
Manual Configuration (Enterprise Only): Select individual services and customize passwords for each

Can I customize passwords before deployment?#

Yes! When selecting a deployment profile, you have two options:

Click "Use this profile" to deploy with default passwords
Click "Customize" to set your own passwords before deployment

What if deployment fails?#

If a deployment fails:

Check the error logs (click "Show Details")
See the Troubleshooting guide
Fix the underlying issue (network, resources, etc.)
Retry the deployment (it will resume from where it failed)
If still stuck, contact support with the error logs

VPN & Access#

Why do I need a VPN to access my services?#

For security. Your infrastructure services (Kubernetes API, Rancher, Harbor, etc.) are not directly exposed to the internet. They're only accessible through a secure WireGuard VPN tunnel, protecting them from unauthorized access.

Can I access services without the VPN?#

Not by default (for security reasons). If you need public access to specific services, you can configure ingress rules manually, but this is not recommended for sensitive services.

You can export the WireGuard configuration and share it with team members. However, all team members will share the same VPN identity. For better multi-user management, Enterprise plans will include per-user VPN configurations in a future update.

What if I lose my VPN configuration?#

The WireGuard configuration is saved in Siovos Desktop. If you lose it:

Check Settings → VPN → Export Configuration
Or regenerate it by re-running the deployment (won't affect existing services)
Or SSH to your server and retrieve /etc/wireguard/wg0.conf

Certificates & SSL#

Why do I need to install a certificate?#

When you deploy with Step-CA (our private Certificate Authority), your services use SSL/TLS certificates issued by this private CA. Since it's not a public CA (like Let's Encrypt), your computer doesn't trust it by default. Installing the Root CA certificate tells your system to trust all certificates issued by your infrastructure.

Why can't the certificate be installed automatically on macOS?#

Apple's security model requires explicit user consent for trusting new Certificate Authorities. This is a deliberate security feature to protect users from malicious software silently installing root certificates. Even signed applications from verified developers cannot bypass this.

The only way to install certificates silently on macOS is through MDM (Mobile Device Management) for managed enterprise devices.

How do I install the certificate on macOS?#

Click "Install SSL Certificate" in Siovos Desktop
Go to System Settings → General → Device Management
Click on the "Siovos Root CA" profile
Click "Install" and enter your password

For detailed instructions, see our Certificate Installation guide.

The certificate is installed but my browser still shows warnings#

Try these steps:

Completely quit and restart your browser (all windows)
Clear your browser's SSL cache
Verify the profile shows as "Installed" in System Settings → Device Management
On some browsers, you may need to restart your computer

Services & Applications#

Can I deploy my own applications?#

Yes! Once Siovos Desktop deploys the infrastructure (Kubernetes cluster, registry, etc.), you can deploy any containerized applications using standard Kubernetes tools (kubectl, Helm, Rancher UI, etc.).

Can I access the Kubernetes cluster with kubectl?#

Yes. After deployment, Siovos Desktop downloads the kubeconfig file. You can use it with kubectl to manage your cluster directly.

What version of Kubernetes is deployed?#

Siovos deploys K3s (lightweight Kubernetes). The version depends on the latest stable K3s release at the time of deployment.

Can I add more services later?#

Yes! You can re-run the deployment wizard and select additional services. The deployment will detect existing infrastructure and only install the new services.

Billing & Accounts#

How does billing work?#

All plans are subscription-based:

Monthly billing: Charged every month
Annual billing: Charged once per year (typically 10-15% savings)
Automatic renewal unless you cancel
Managed through Stripe for security

Plan	Support Level	Response Time
Starter	Community support	48 hours
Professional	Priority support	24 hours
Enterprise	Dedicated support	12 hours

Do you offer setup assistance?#

Professional and Enterprise plans include optional onboarding calls to help you get started. Contact support to schedule.

Still have questions?#

If you can't find the answer you're looking for: