Intermediate
Watchdog
A timer that resets or signals the system when software stops responding.
In industrial practice
It is a recovery layer, not a fix for deadlocks, poor power or an unsafe design.
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TECHNICAL GLOSSARY
Firmware
Boot, partitions, updates, real time and silicon-level security: the layer that decides whether equipment recovers by itself and whether its code can be replaced.
terms in this category
Intermediate
Bootloader
The initial program that validates and loads the application stored in flash.
In industrial practice
It participates in OTA updates, partition selection and security verification.
Related:OTAPartition tableSecure Boot
Intermediate
OTA
Firmware updates over the network without physical access to the device.
In industrial practice
Production requires signing, a spare partition, a health test and rollback.
Advanced
Rollback
An automatic return to a previous firmware image when the new one fails.
In industrial practice
It prevents remote loss of equipment after a faulty OTA update.
Related:OTAPartition tableWatchdog
Advanced
Secure Boot
A mechanism that allows only firmware signed by a trusted key to execute.
In industrial practice
It protects the boot chain; key management and backup are critical.
Related:Flash EncryptioneFuseOTA
Advanced
Flash Encryption
Encryption of external flash contents with a key protected in the chip.
In industrial practice
It makes firmware and data extraction harder, but does not replace network authentication and security.
Related:Secure BooteFuseNVS
Advanced
eFuse
One-time programmable bits used for configuration, identity and keys.
In industrial practice
Some operations are irreversible; validate the process on test devices.
Related:Secure BootFlash EncryptionROM
Intermediate
Partition table
A map that divides flash among applications, OTA, NVS and file systems.
In industrial practice
The layout defines update and storage capacity for the product's entire life.
Intermediate
FreeRTOS
A real-time operating system used by ESP-IDF for tasks, queues and synchronization.
In industrial practice
Poorly chosen priorities can cause starvation, latency or watchdog resets.