HP-UX

Hi,

I have a refurbished HP C3750 workstation that my company recently bought. We have a need to be able to retrieve its serial number through software, and I found instructions at HP's Website on how to do this. Unfortunately, the machine does not return a serial number using any of the methods described there.

I am guessing that because we bought this refurbished, the serial number got scrubbed somehow when they re-installed HPUX 11i onto it. Unfortunately, they haven't been very responsive to my inquiries, and I can't seem to find any information on how you would go about setting the serial number, only how to retrieve it.

So, does anyone here know how to do this?

What serial number are you looking for?
On a PA-RISC there are 2 serial numbers:
a) The Hardware...
b) Software ID

If its for licensing a product software Id should suffice (my case for SAS and other softs for example...)
This number you get by

Code:

 $ getconf MACHINE_IDENT 
168921511
$ uname -i
168921511

The other is written somewhere on the box (or inside...) or can be obtained by using the command (as root...) print_manifest (/opt/ignite/bin/print_manifest) look the man pages
But is it installed?

Or, just try below

Code:

getconf  CS_MACHINE_SERIAL

-DB

I agree with you DB but our friend here is having nothing returned (1rst post) I tried on my favorite box and:

Code:

ant:/home/vbe/wks $ getconf  CS_MACHINE_SERIAL

ant:/home/vbe/wks $

So have you a better solution ( or confirm that print_manifest will always work...)?
Although I believe the b) should do the job unless we got it all wrong, because it was for a HP HW support contract...

I've watched HP techs change serial numbers and they have always done it at the ISL prompt. They all used an app on their laptops to generate a key that verified that had permission to change the serial number.

Oops.. Sorry Vbe.. I forgot to have a look at the link and command he posted (He initially used).. Also, I don't think print_manifest should help him in this case. Perhaps, it might pull up.. Actually, it should. But, it is not showing up serial number on my server. Don't know why..

Lurch,

Below link has lot of such methods to pull out serial number.

IT Resource Center forums - how to find serial no on hp-ux?

I believe, there is a corruption on serial number here and whatever we discuss here are just to pull out the serial number from the server and not to change it..

However, we CAN change the serial number of the server. There is a procedure and a utility to do it. I can, as well.. However, its a HP ONLY stuff and we are not supposed to do it at any chance.

Its strongly recommended to log a case with HP and have a CE sent online to do it. He'd be coming there with the utility and do it. It would not even take that much time I took to type in here.

Moreover, your Serial Number is more important and is being linked to a lot of things, even with a contract if one. So, its not good to change it in any time. Please do call HP is what can say.

-DB

Thanks for everyone's replies. Unfortunately, since we bought the workstation refurbished through a 3rd party reseller of used HP computers, and we are not an HP shop, we don't have a contract with HP. So, it sounds like it would be rather expensive to get a maintenance contract just to have an HP technician set the serial number correctly. Oh well, I suppose we'll have to live without it.