Glossary
This glossary provides definitions for key terms and concepts used in the WEDA platform and edge AI application development.
Terms and Definitions
A
ACC (Advantech Container Catalog)
A catalog of Ready-to-use applications, Ready-to-develop application projects and partner trials or solutions for edge devices. Each listing specifies its hardware, software and setup requirements.
Access Token
A short-lived credential used to authenticate API requests, obtained after successful authentication through OAuth 2.0 or other authentication mechanisms.
Activation
The step after registration in which WEDA Node on the edge device authenticates with WEDA Core and connects. You complete it on the device in WEDA Node Activator; a registered device remains Registered until activation succeeds.
AI Model
An Org-level resource that groups versions of an AI model file. Each file version is managed as a Model Edition.
Alert Event
A record of an Alert Policy firing against a specific DataStream, capturing when the condition was met, its current lifecycle status, and when it was resolved. Alert Events are read-only history: they are generated by the platform, not created by users.
Alert Policy
An independent, Org-level resource defining conditions and thresholds that trigger notifications when a monitored DataStream's value exceeds defined limits. A single Alert Policy can attach to multiple DataStreams, enabling proactive system monitoring.
Analyzer
A computation in WEDA Core that reads existing input DataStreams and writes results to configured output DataStreams. Supported types are TransferFunction for a mathematical expression and JavaScript for script-based processing.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A set of protocols and tools that allows different software applications to communicate and exchange data with the WEDA system.
Auto-Provisioning
An authentication method in WEDA Node Activator, shown as Auto Provision. It activates WEDA Node with a provisioning key supplied for your WEDA deployment, rather than a device-specific credential file. The two file types are not interchangeable.
B
BMC (Baseboard Management Controller)
A specialized microcontroller embedded on the motherboard that enables out-of-band management, allowing remote power control, BIOS configuration, and OS updates even when the primary system is powered off.
BMS (Building Management System)
An automated system for monitoring and controlling a building's electrical and mechanical equipment, including HVAC, lighting, and security systems.
BSP (Board Support Package)
Hardware-specific software that enables an operating system to run on a board or device, typically including boot components, a kernel and device drivers.
C
Client Credential
A client ID and client secret used by an integration to obtain an access token without interactive user sign-in. WEDA uses this authentication path for Custom Device HTTP ingestion; the token's scope and audience determine its permitted use.
Connectivity
A device's connection status, based on the latest heartbeat WEDA Core accepted after activation. It applies to WEDA Nodes and SubNodes; for a Custom Device, heartbeat monitoring does not apply.
Container Image
A package of application files, runtime dependencies and configuration used to create a container. WEDA Stack definitions reference images stored in a container registry.
Container Orchestration
The automated management of containerized application lifecycles, such as deployment and updates, across distributed edge devices. In WEDA, Stacks are defined in Docker Compose format.
Container Registry
A storage and distribution system for container images, supporting both private and public registries with credential management for secure access to Docker images.
CRUD
The four basic operations of persistent storage: Create, Read, Update and Delete. WEDA Core APIs apply them to platform resources.
Custom Device
A WEDA device integration that accepts data from an external device or application without requiring WEDA Node on that device. Its Data Source and Data Parser configure how incoming values reach output DataStreams.
D
Data Assembly
The collection of readings from multiple input DataStreams into an input set for an Analyzer. Its policy controls when a set is ready and how to handle missing inputs or timeouts.
Data Parser
A Custom Device configuration that extracts values from incoming payloads and maps them to existing output DataStreams.
Data Source
In Custom Device integration, the input-connector configuration that selects how data enters WEDA, such as HTTP or MQTT. A Data Source receives payloads; a DataStream represents the resulting queryable data.
Data Stream Bridge
A one-way forwarding rule that publishes DataStream values from WEDA Core to a customer-hosted MQTT broker. A Data Stream Bridge is defined by two resources: an MQTT Broker Config holding the connection profile and credentials, and the Bridge itself, which binds specific DataStreams to outbound topics and sets the message assembly policy.
DataStream
A device-associated data resource with a definition and timestamped values that applications can query. Its definition is either synchronized from WEDA Node or WEDA SubNode sensors (managedBy: System) or created explicitly for purposes such as Custom Device input or Analyzer output (managedBy: User).
Deployment
An operation that delivers a selected Stack Revision or Model Edition to target WEDA Nodes, with progress and results tracked for each device.
Desired State
The configuration requested for a device through WEDA Core and kept in its Device Shadow. A saved desired state does not confirm that the device has applied it.
Device Credential
A device-specific encrypted authentication file (.bin) for single device provisioning with pre-configured access rights and security credentials.
Device Shadow
A persistent representation of a device's desired configuration and last-reported state in WEDA Core. It retains this information while the device is disconnected, supporting configuration synchronization when the device reconnects.
Device Tunnel
A remote-access session established through WEDA Core to a service on an edge device, without complex firewall configuration. Supported service types are SSH, HTTP, HTTPS, VNC, RDP and MQTT, plus browser-based Web SSH and Web VNC.
Digital Twin
A virtual representation of a physical device in digital space, enabling real-time state synchronization, simulation, and remote control through standardized protocols.
Docker Compose
A tool and configuration file format for defining and running multi-container Docker applications, used in WEDA for container stack deployment.
DTDL (Digital Twin Definition Language)
A standardized language for describing models of physical devices, ensuring interoperability with platforms like Azure Digital Twins and consistent device representation across systems.
E
Edge AI
Artificial Intelligence algorithms and models deployed on edge devices rather than cloud servers, enabling real-time processing with reduced latency and improved privacy.
Edge Computing
A distributed computing paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer to the location where it is needed, improving response times and saving bandwidth.
Edge Device
A physical computing device at the edge of a network that collects, processes, and analyzes data locally before sending relevant information to central systems.
G
GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
A specialized processor designed to accelerate parallel computing tasks, commonly used in WEDA environments for AI inference acceleration.
I
IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface)
A standardized interface for out-of-band management and monitoring of computer hardware, enabling remote monitoring of system health, temperature, and power status.
J
JavaScript Analyzer
An Analyzer of type JavaScript that executes a script using configured input DataStreams and publishes its results to configured output DataStreams.
JetPack
NVIDIA® JetPack™ is the software stack for Jetson™ platforms, combining Jetson Linux with AI libraries and developer tools, including CUDA® and TensorRT™.
JWT (JSON Web Token)
A compact, self-contained token format for secure information transmission and authentication between parties, used in WEDA for user and service authentication.
M
MAC Address
A unique hardware identifier assigned to network interfaces, used as the primary device identifier in WEDA for auto-provisioning and device registration.
Machine Learning (ML)
A subset of artificial intelligence that enables systems to learn from data patterns and improve performance without explicit programming.
MDC (Micro Data Center)
A localized, high-performance computing environment for on-premises deployment, operating in the WEDA Cloud layer alongside cloud deployments.
MLOps
A set of practices covering machine learning model development, deployment, monitoring and continuous improvement. In WEDA, AI Models and Model Editions are used to deploy model files to edge devices.
Modbus
An industrial communication protocol widely used for connecting PLCs, sensors, and other industrial automation equipment, supported by WEDA SubNode framework.
Model Edition
One version of an AI Model's file, with its own upload and verification state. The file must be uploaded and verified before that Edition can be selected for deployment.
MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)
A lightweight publish/subscribe messaging protocol commonly used for IoT device communication, supported by WEDA for telemetry data transmission.
Multilayer Analyzer
A processing chain in which a JavaScript Analyzer's output DataStream supplies an input to another JavaScript Analyzer. Each stage remains an Analyzer of type JavaScript.
N
Notification Channel
An Org-level delivery destination used by Alert Policies to send notifications. WEDA supports email, Microsoft Teams, LINE, and webhook channel types, each with its own configuration schema. Channel secrets such as passwords and access tokens are write-only: they are never returned in API responses.
Notification Template
A reusable, Org-level message body with {variableName} placeholders. Each template declares which channel types it targets, and an Alert Policy references one when it sends a notification.
NPU (Neural Processing Unit)
A hardware accelerator designed for neural network operations and AI inference. Using it requires compatible drivers and an inference runtime for the device's platform.
O
OAuth 2.0
An industry-standard authorization protocol enabling secure third-party access to resources without sharing credentials. WEDA uses it for user authentication.
Organization (Org)
A hierarchical organizational unit in WEDA Core that groups devices, users, and resources for access control and management purposes, identified by unique orgId.
OTA (Over-The-Air)
Technology for remotely updating software, firmware, or configurations through network connections, supported by WEDA Core's container orchestration capabilities.
P
PLC (Programmable Logic Controller)
A specialized industrial computer used for automation control of manufacturing processes, machinery, and assembly lines, connectable through WEDA SubNode.
Point of Sale (POS)
The location and system where retail transactions are completed, including hardware and software for processing payments and recording sales data.
Provisioning Key
A key file (.bin) supplied for your WEDA deployment, used with the Auto Provision authentication method in WEDA Node Activator. It is not a device-specific credential file, and the two are not interchangeable. Release notes refer to it as the Auto Provision master key.
R
Ready-to-develop Application
An unbuilt application project in ACC that provides a starting point for development or customization. Follow the project instructions and build a runnable application image before deployment.
Ready-to-use Application
A pre-built application in ACC that you can deploy directly to edge devices.
Real-time Processing
The immediate processing and analysis of data as it is generated, enabling instant insights and rapid response to operational conditions.
Refresh Token
A long-lived credential used to obtain new access tokens without re-authentication, enabling continuous API access with enhanced security.
Remote Command
A one-time action requested on a supported device, such as reboot, shutdown, manual Data Resync or a supported custom command. The device must be reachable; an offline request is rejected rather than queued.
Reported State
The state last reported by a device and kept in its Device Shadow. Check its timestamp; while the device is disconnected, it cannot confirm what the device is doing now.
REST API (RESTful API)
An architectural style for designing networked applications using HTTP methods and stateless communication, implemented across all WEDA Core APIs for standardized resource access.
Revision
A saved version of a Stack's configuration. Updating a Stack creates a new Revision; devices keep their deployed Revision until you deploy another one.
Rollback
Returning devices to an earlier configuration. WEDA has no dedicated rollback operation; deploy an earlier Stack Revision instead.
S
Sensor
A hardware device that detects and measures physical properties (temperature, pressure, motion, etc.) and converts them into signals for monitoring and processing.
SoC (System on Chip)
A chip that integrates CPU cores with functions such as graphics, AI acceleration and input/output controllers. The available functions depend on the specific SoC.
SSH (Secure Shell)
A cryptographic network protocol for secure remote command-line access and administration of devices, available in WEDA through Device Tunnel or Web SSH for remote device management.
Stack
A collection of related containerized applications and services deployed and managed as a single unit in WEDA, defined in Docker Compose format.
T
Telemetry
Automated collection and transmission of data from remote sensors and devices for monitoring and analysis, supporting numeric, string, structured (JSON), image and binary (blob) data in WEDA.
Tenant
An independent top-level boundary managed through WISE Portal, with its own users and organization hierarchy. An Org tree stays within one Tenant.
Transfer Function
Custom arithmetic transformation logic applied to DataStream values for normalization, scaling, or unit conversion. Implemented in WEDA Core as an Analyzer of type TransferFunction, which runs cloud-side on already-ingested DataStreams and writes its result to an Output DataStream.
tus
An open HTTP protocol for resumable file uploads. WEDA uses it to transfer Model Edition files, resuming an existing upload from the server-reported byte offset.
W
Web SSH
Browser-based access to a device's SSH terminal. Your application creates a webssh Tunnel session and opens the returned Web SSH URL; the device's SSH account is still required to sign in.
Webhook
An HTTP callback mechanism that automatically sends real-time event notifications to configured URLs when specific conditions or events occur, enabling integration with external systems.
WEDA (WISE-Edge Developer Architecture)
An integrated software framework designed to accelerate the development of AI+IoT solutions, providing full-stack architecture from edge hardware to cloud/MDC with standardized tools and infrastructure.
WEDA Console
The web interface for managing WEDA resources, including organizations, devices, container stacks and AI models.
WEDA Core
The cloud-side management platform in WEDA. It provides remote device management, data processing, Device Shadows and container deployment for edge devices.
WEDA Node
An edge software agent running on industrial devices that serves as the intelligent bridge between edge devices and WEDA Core, managing container lifecycles, SubNode orchestration, and maintaining Digital Twin state synchronization.
WEDA Node Activator
A terminal utility that you download and install on an edge device to set up WEDA Node, activate it with WEDA Core and check its status.
WEDA SubNode
An integration framework, provided as a C# SDK with source code on GitHub, that bridges physical sensor devices and industrial equipment with WEDA Core, serving as the execution layer for direct hardware communication without requiring Digital Twin protocol knowledge.