Overview: After running the install command, the machine reboots into the Root Lock by HeartSuite kernel.
Cloud users skip this step entirely. The Root Lock kernel is pre-installed and on first boot the Dashboard confirms initial setup is complete. The Dashboard appears automatically on first boot.
Reboot into the Root Lock kernel
The installer sets the Root Lock kernel as the default boot target and reboots automatically. A 5-second countdown appears — press Ctrl+C to cancel if you need to inspect logs before rebooting.
After reboot, Root Lock reads the startup and shutdown logs and adds those programs to the allowlist automatically. Continue with Installation Part 2.
If you are connected over SSH, your session drops when the reboot fires — this is expected. Reconnect after the machine comes back.
While initial setup is running, each SSH login shows a brief status line and drops you at a regular shell; the Dashboard appears once complete. The serial console (virsh console, AWS EC2 Serial Console / Get system log, Linode LISH, Hetzner console, etc.) shows the current step on every boot. On cloud serial, run cat /var/log/heartsuite/install.log to see bundle output or journalctl -t heartsuite for enforcement.
If an amber warning appears instead of the countdown, the installer could not set the GRUB default automatically. This occurs on Alpine Linux or when the GRUB configuration is missing. The warning includes instructions for opening a console session on your cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP, or DigitalOcean) or local VM before rebooting — then select the Root Lock kernel from the GRUB menu manually.
If the system does not boot into Root Lock
If the installer stopped before reboot on a nested guest, install on the outer machine — see Bare metal, virtual machines, and nested VMs.
If the machine boots to the wrong kernel or hangs:
- Verify the installer completed without errors before the reboot fired.
- Reboot and select the Root Lock kernel from the GRUB menu manually. On a VM, use the hypervisor serial console.
If the issue persists, contact HeartSuite support at support@heartsecsuite.com — we’re happy to help.