This glossary defines key terms used in Airwave. Use it as a reference when working with OTA update packages, signing keys, firmware builds, and device targets.
Airwave Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Airwave Agent | An Android APK installed on devices that handles registration, firmware updates, and self-updates |
| Platform signing key | The cryptographic key pair used to sign the device's system firmware; APKs signed with this key receive system-level privileges — the same key the OS itself is signed with. |
| Signing fingerprint | A SHA-256 hash of the signing certificate, formatted as colon-separated hex bytes |
| Pre-registration | Adding a device serial number to Airwave before the device connects |
| Full build | A complete OS firmware image |
| Delta build | An incremental firmware update containing only changes from a specific previous build |
| A/B update | Android’s seamless update mechanism using two system partitions for safe rollback |
| OEM | Original Equipment Manufacturer — the company that builds and ships the devices |
| Hardware model | The association between a device model and an OEM in the Airwave platform |
Firmware States
Each firmware build moves through a series of states that reflect its position in the release lifecycle. The following states are system-managed.
- Processing: system-managed; build just created
- Unreleased: system-managed; artifact done but not released
- Released: live, deployable, only state that allows approval
- To_be_deprecated: marked for retirement; auto-unapproved
- Unavailable: retired; excluded from list results; auto-unapproved