A serial number is a unique, identifying number or group of numbers and letters assigned to an individual piece of hardware or software. Other things have serial numbers as well, though, including banknotes and other similar documents.
A serial number is a unique identifier assigned incrementally or sequentially to an item, to uniquely identify it.
Serial numbers need not be strictly numerical. They may contain letters and other typographical symbols, or may consist entirely of a characterstring.
Serial numbers identify otherwise identical individual units with many, obvious uses. Serial numbers are a deterrent against theft and counterfeit products, as they can be recorded, and stolen or otherwise irregular goods can be identified. Some items with serial numbers are automobiles, electronics, and appliances. Banknotes and other transferable documents of value bear serial numbers to assist in preventing counterfeiting and tracing stolen ones.
They are valuable in quality control, as once a defect is found in the production of a particular batch of product, the serial number will identify which units are affected.
Serial numbers may be used to identify individual physical or intangible objects (for example computer software or the right to play an online multiplayer game). The purpose and application is different. A software serial number, otherwise called product key, is usually not embedded in the software, but is assigned to a specific user with a right to use the software. The software will function only if a potential user enters a valid product code. The vast majority of possible codes are rejected by the software. If an unauthorised user is found to be using the software, the legitimate user can be identified from the code. It is usually not impossible, however, for an unauthorised user to create a valid but unallocated code either by trying many possible codes, or reverse engineering the software; use of unallocated codes can be monitored if the software makes an Internet connection.
The term serial number is sometimes used for codes which do not identify a single instance of something. For example, the International Standard Serial Number or ISSN used on magazines, journals and other periodicals, an equivalent to the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) applied to books, is assigned to each periodical. It takes its name from the library science use of the word serial to mean a periodical.
Certificates and certificate authorities (CA) are necessary for widespread use of cryptography. These depend on applying mathematically rigorous serial numbers and serial number arithmetic, again not identifying a single instance of the content being protected.
The term serial number is also used in military formations as an alternative to the expression service number.[citation needed] In air forces, the serial number is used to uniquely identify individual aircraft and is usually painted on both sides of the aircraft fuselage, most often in the tail area, although in some cases the serial is painted on the side of the aircraft's fin/rudder(s). Because of this, the serial number is sometimes called a tail number.
In the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) the individual serial takes the form of two letters followed by three digits, e.g., BT308—the prototype Avro Lancaster, or XS903—an English Electric Lightning F.6 at one time based at RAF Binbrook.[1] During the Second World War RAF aircraft that were secret or carrying secret equipment had '/G' (for 'Guard') appended to the serial, denoting that the aircraft was to have an armed guard at all times while on the ground, e.g., LZ548/G—the prototype de Havilland Vampirejetfighter, or ML926/G—a de Havilland Mosquito XVI experimentally fitted with H2S radar. Prior to this scheme the RAF, and predecessor Royal Flying Corps (RFC), utilised a serial consisting of a letter followed by four figures, e.g., D8096—a Bristol F.2 Fighter currently owned by the Shuttleworth Collection, or K5054—the prototype Supermarine Spitfire. The serial number follows the aircraft throughout its period of service.
In 2009, the U.S. FDA published draft guidance for the pharmaceutical industry to use serial numbers on prescription drug packages.[2] This measure is intended to enhance the traceability of drugs and to help prevent counterfeiting.
Serial numbers are often used in network protocols. However, most sequence numbers in computer protocols are limited to a fixed number of bits, and will wrap around after a sufficiently many numbers have been allocated. Thus, recently allocated serial numbers may duplicate very old serial numbers, but not other recently allocated serial numbers. To avoid ambiguity with these non-unique numbers, RFC1982 'Serial Number Arithmetic', defines special rules for calculations involving these kinds of serial numbers.
Lollipop sequence number spaces are a more recent and sophisticated scheme for dealing with finite-sized sequence numbers in protocols.
While checking the warranty status or seeking support for your Dell laptop, you may encounter pages on the Dell support website that request the serial number of the computer. Depending on the computer, the Dell website may also refer to the serial number as the 'service tag' or 'express service code.' The unique serial number that identifies your Dell laptop is hard-coded in the main system board and printed on a label affixed to the bottom of the computer.
Examine the bottom of the laptop for a sticker with a bar code, and the words 'Service Tag' or 'Express Service Code.' The serial number consists of five or seven letters and numbers. If your Dell laptop no longer has the serial number affixed to the bottom, continue to Step 2.
Open Internet Explorer and navigate to the Dell System Profiler webpage (see Resources). This webpage only works with Internet Explorer 5.5 and later.
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Review the privacy statement displayed regarding the information the Dell System Profiler collects about your computer, and then click 'Yes, I do agree.'
Confirm the bar at the top of the Internet Explorer window contains the words 'DellSystemLite from Dell Inc.' Click the bar, and then click 'Install this add-on.'
Click the 'Install' button in the security notification window that appears. The webpage refreshes and displays the Service Tag and Express Service Code for your Dell laptop.