Checking the Contract Status of Your Device
Cisco devices have a standard serial number, from the serial number you can work out it's age and the location it was built. To decipher the serial number, here's how it is composed.
Before you use the Device Coverage Checker, ensure that you have a valid Cisco.com account. If you do not have a valid Cisco.com account, you must register on the Cisco.com Registration page. Once you register, complete the procedure associated with your access level: Guest-Level Access or Customer-Level and Partner-Level Access.
NoteCustomers and partners with a service contract can leverage advanced features such as additional information (product and coverage) and bulk input of serial numbers.
Guest-Level Access
If you are registered at the Guest level, complete these steps to check the contract status of up to 20 devices:
1.Access the Device Coverage Checker as described in Accessing the Device Coverage Checker Tool.
2.Enter up to 20 serial numbers separated by a comma or a space in the field provided, and click the Check button.
Results are displayed in a table format of up to 20 devices. Devices found to be covered by an active service contract are indicated by a checkmark icon () in the Covered column.
NoteResults are valid only for the time that the check was performed (as indicated by the date/timestamp located under the results heading).
Customer-Level and Partner-Level Access
If you are registered at the Customer or Partner level, complete these steps to check the contract status of your device or devices:
1.Access the Device Coverage Checker as described in Accessing the Device Coverage Checker Tool.
2.Choose one of the following options to submit your device serial number or numbers:
To check up to 20 Cisco devices, enter a comma-delimited or space-delimited list of serial numbers in the field provided, and click the Check button.
To check more than 20 Cisco devices, complete these steps to use the Bulk input method:
a.Prepare an input file containing up to 1,000 serial numbers separated by a comma, space, or newline.
NoteSupported file formats are CSV and TXT only; XLS is not supported. The file can contain up to 1,000 serial numbers separated by a comma, space, or newline. Do not include column headings.
b.Click the Need to check more than 20 link.
The Serial Number Upload dialog window appears.
c.Click the Upload area or drag and drop your input file to the Upload area.
d.Click Upload.
Results are displayed in a table format of up to 20 devices. Devices found to be covered by an active service contract are indicated by a checkmark icon () in the Covered column.
NoteResults are valid only for the time that the check was performed (as indicated by a date/timestamp located under the results heading).
If the device is listed on a contract associated with your Cisco.com profile, the following details of the contract coverage are also shown: Contract Description, Contract Number, Service Expiry date of the device’s service coverage, terms of the product warranty.
3.To display additional information, such as the End-of-Sale and End-of-Support dates (if applicable) and details of the Warranty Terms, click the arrow icon to expand the row.
4.To access the product page on the Cisco.com website, click the Product ID link for a device.
5.To view details of contracts associated with your account, click the associated to the contract link located beneath the results table.
6.To download a spreadsheet of the results, click the Export button ().
The Data exported message displays and indicates the name of the file.
The file is saved to the Downloads folder on your local computer.
–On Windows, the file is saved to C:Users<username>Downloads.
–On Mac, the file is saved to /Users/Home/Downloads.
Each organization in Dashboard has an inventory that tracks what Cisco Meraki devices have been added to the organization and any networks it contains. This article will discuss the Organization > Inventory page, and some common actions that can be done there.
Searching For Devices
The Organization > Inventory page will provide a comprehensive listing of all devices that are currently added to any networks within the organization, as well as devices that have been claimed, but are not currently in a network.
Use the Search inventory box to search for a device, or group of devices, based on:
- MAC address
- Serial number
- Network name
- Model number
- Order number
The example below demonstrates searching for a serial number:
There are also options to filter the list based on whether devices are:
- Used - Currently added to a network.
- Unused - Claimed, but not in a network.
- Both - Lists all claimed devices, regardless of whether they are in a network.
The displayed list of devices can also be exported to a CSV file for easier external processing/tracking. Simply click the Download as CSV button to generate and download the file.
Claiming Devices
![Cisco Cisco](https://community.fs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cisco1.jpg)
When adding a new device to Dashboard, it may need to be claimed first. This will add the device to the organization's inventory. The claim process can be initiated from any page where devices are added from (such as Configure > Add devices), or from the Organization > Inventory page.
![Cisco Check Sn Cisco Check Sn](http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ns-OglEYvHw/Ui_DT5W75JI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/8b_R7YMJP3U/r1_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800)
Note: Claiming a device does not assign ownership. The inventory is merely for record-keeping, for organizing your devices, and doesn't actually take ownership of a device. You need to add a device to a network to actually take ownership of it.
- Click Claim.
- Enter the serial number of the device(s), or the Cisco Meraki order number(s); one per line.
- Click Claim.
- A green box indicating 'Changes saved' will appear above and the devices will be added to the list of available devices.
If an error message appears indicating 'some of the devices you tied claiming are in use', verify that the device isn't already active in this organization, or another one. If it is in another organization, it will need to be removed. - Click Close
- The device(s) is now available for adding to a network.
Error Message: Some of the devices you tried claiming are in use
If a Meraki device is already claimed in another user's network, it will not be claimable in another organization. If you attempt to claim a device that is already in a network, you will receive an error message reading 'Some of the devices you tried claiming are in use'
Due to privacy and security concerns, Cisco Meraki support cannot assist in moving devices that have already been claimed. In order to add the device to your network, you will need to contact the original owner of the device, and have them follow the instructions in our documentation to remove the device from their network. Once that has been done, after a brief wait (around 15 minutes), the device should be claimable again.
Unclaiming Devices
Sometimes devices need to be entirely removed from an organization in Dashboard, most often as part of moving the device to another organization. The steps below will unclaim a device and remove it from the organization's inventory.
Note: The device must be removed from any networks before proceeding.
- Navigate to the Organization > Inventory page.
- Check the box for the device(s) to unclaim.
- Click Unclaim.
- The device(s) will disappear from the list.
Adding Devices to Networks
While there are multiple ways devices can be added to a network, this section will outline the process to add devices from the Inventory page. Before beginning, create a network if one doesn't already exist.
For more information on adding and removing devices, please review the article on Adding and Removing Devices from Dashboard Networks.
- Navigate to the Organization > Inventory page
- Check the box next to any device(s) to add.
- Click Add to...
- To add to an existing network:
- Select Existing network
- Choose the desired network from the dropdown
Note: Only one MX or Z1 can be in a network.
Note: Adding more than one device type to a network will automatically convert that network to a combined network. - Click Add to existing.
- Select Existing network
- To add to a new network:
- Select New network.
- Enter a Name for the network.
- Choose a Configuration. Leave as 'Default' unless cloning another network, or tying to a template is desired.
- Click Create network and add.
- Select New network.
- The device(s) will be added to the desired network.
We highly recommend having the total switch count in any dashboard network to be less than or equal to400 switches. If switch count exceeds 400 switches, it is likely to slow down the loading of the network topology/ switch ports page or result in display of inconsistent output.
Additional Resources
For information on related topics, refer to the following articles: