diff --git a/.docker/setup_config.sh b/.docker/setup_config.sh
index 1567a8688..2adb30370 100644
--- a/.docker/setup_config.sh
+++ b/.docker/setup_config.sh
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ source setup/setup_conda.sh Linux-x86_64
 
 echo "setup_conda.sh successful"
 
-# now install the emission environment
 source setup/setup.sh
 
 echo "finished installing e-mission environment"
@@ -14,14 +13,19 @@ echo "finished installing e-mission environment"
 ## But that doesn't update all packages (e.g. cryptography=38 stays at that
 ## level instead of upgrading to cryptography=40)
 ## So we just manually upgrade the failing dependencies in the base image
+
 # conda config --add channels conda-forge
 
 # if [[ $(conda install -c conda-forge cryptography=40.0.2 wheel=0.40.0) == *Killed* ]]; then
 #     echo "!!!!! Error !!!!!"
 #     exit code 1
 # fi
-# conda install -vv -c conda-forge cryptography=40.0.2 wheel=0.40.0
+conda install -c conda-forge cryptography=40.0.2 wheel=0.40.0
 
+if [ -z "$CONDA_EXE" ]; then
+    echo 'Environment variable CONDA_EXE must be specified. Exiting.'
+    exit 1
+fi
 
 echo "finished installing conda"
 
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 33d7f254d..51b79fa8b 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -25,12 +25,11 @@ COPY . .
 
 RUN chmod u+x ./.docker/setup_config.sh 
 
-
 # # This clone puts the server code into the image, not the container
 
 RUN bash -c "./.docker/setup_config.sh" && echo "finished setup_config.sh" 
 
-RUN if [ -z "$_CE_CONDA" ]; then echo 'Environment variable _CE_CONDA must be specified. Exiting.'; exit 1; fi
+# RUN if [ -z "$_CE_CONDA" ]; then echo 'Environment variable _CE_CONDA must be specified. Exiting.'; exit 1; fi
 # # #declare environment variables
 # ENV DB_HOST=''
 # ENV WEB_SERVER_HOST=''