Audio-driver update state reference
The conceptual states between an audio package candidate, device selection, endpoint publication, and runtime use.
Candidate records
An audio update begins as a package or catalog record with identity, version, hardware scope, and matching declarations. That record may describe a codec, controller, extension, or service. Candidate status is a catalog or installation concept, not evidence that an endpoint is currently using the component.
Selection and activation
Package management can match a device, rank candidates, stage package files, and establish a runtime relationship. Audio endpoints may then be published or updated by the audio subsystem. Each transition has a different owner and should be described with its own noun.
State has more than one axis
Package presence, driver selection, service state, endpoint availability, stream format, and physical signal are distinct observations. A state reference is useful because it avoids treating one endpoint label or version field as a complete account of the audio path.
Release notes have a boundary
A release note can describe package contents, supported hardware configurations, component changes, or known interface relationships. It does not automatically describe every endpoint, application, or acoustic outcome. The reader should retain the scope stated by the publisher.
Reference facts
- Update states
- Candidate, matched, selected, staged, active, and endpoint-published
- Distinct axes
- Package, service, endpoint, stream, and physical signal state
- Release scope
- A package or component record, not every audio behavior
Questions and answers
Does a newer audio package prove that an endpoint uses it?
No. Package availability, selection, activation, and endpoint publication are distinct states.
Can an endpoint remain while a package changes?
Endpoint objects and package records have different lifecycles. The audio subsystem can preserve a logical endpoint while its backing components transition.
Does an update state establish a cause?
No. It is a descriptive label for a lifecycle record and does not prescribe an action.