Lessons · Network switches · the part number and the serial
The serial nobody can reconstruct later
`show inventory` prints the part number and the serial number, and the serial is what a warranty replacement is raised against.
Hone is a place to practise programming. This is one of its lessons, written out in full and free to read without an account.
What it is for
A configuration can be restored from a file. A serial is burned into the chassis and appears in no backup, so if it is not written down before the box leaves, it is gone.
How to think about it
Read it off both boxes -- the one going out and the one going in -- and put both in the ticket. It is also the only field that proves which physical switch you are logged in to.
Worked example
enableIn.
show inventoryNAME and DESCR, then PID, VID and SN. The SN is the one the RMA wants.
show versionThe same serial appears here, which is where most people read it from.
Your turn
Print the part number and serial of the switch in front of you.
show
Console into a switch
The trap
Assuming the asset register is right. It records what somebody typed once; the switch records what it is.