Key concepts

Ten words carry the whole product. Each gets one sentence, then the example shows them working together.

The objects

Concept	What it is	Where it is defined
Release	One version of a model and its configuration, published for approval. The example has two: `cpu-1` and `cpu-2`.	Release identity
Release identity	The digests that name a release exactly: model, configuration, release and receipt. Preprocessing identity is proposed, not recorded.	Release identity
Approval	A signed decision that one release may run in one destination, under one policy, within an age limit.	Approval binding
Policy	The runtime a destination requires: the exact ONNX Runtime version and execution providers, and who may publish, deploy and approve.	Runtime integration
Destination	Where an approved release may run: an environment and a resource. In the experiment, `non-actuating-lab` and `onnx-cpu`.	Approval binding
Runtime	The process that loads and serves the model. In the experiment, a managed ONNX Runtime session on CPU.	Runtime integration
Desired	The approved release the runtime should be running.	Observation record
Loaded	What the runtime reports it is actually running. A worker self-report, not attestation.	Observation record
Observation	One comparison of desired with loaded, with a status: matched, pending or unknown.	States and codes
Trace	The ordered file of observations a run produces. The evidence app reads it; it never changes it.	Evidence and observations

How they relate

A release has exactly one identity. Change any byte of the model or configuration and the identity changes.
An approval names one release, one destination and one policy. It does not approve a model in general.
A runtime loads a release only if its own version and execution providers satisfy the policy the approval names.
Every observation pairs one desired release with one loaded report, or with a reason why there is no report.
A trace holds observations in the order they were recorded. Nothing is dropped, including the ones that confirm nothing.

The example, all the way through

cpu-1 is published and approved for non-actuating-lab / onnx-cpu. The runtime loads it and reports it. Observation 01: matched.
cpu-2 is published and approved. The runtime is in baseline mode, so it keeps serving cpu-1. Observation 02: pending (Reload pending).
An explicit reload loads cpu-2, and the runtime reports it. Observation 03: matched.
The worker stops. cpu-2 stays approved, but nothing reports what is loaded. Observation 04: unknown, reason RUNTIME_UNAVAILABLE.

Read this first

Everything here comes from one captured run of a synthetic ONNX CPU experiment. The loaded side is what the worker says about itself; Vraelis does not claim hardware attestation.

ArchitectureWho does what, and where each piece of evidence comes from.Read WalkthroughThe same four observations, screen by screen.Read

Last updated: October 12, 2026