Automating asset management supports reduced total cost of ownership. Cisco operating systems and third-party network management systems can view and use this data, allowing you to automate your electronic inventory to reduce operating costs. UDI removes this barrier by identifying each Cisco product in a network element through a standard interface. One barrier to operating expense reduction is lack of accurate and detailed network inventory information.

VID changes will be visible on product change notices (PCN) beginning in early 2006. VID management is automated in engineering and manufacturing tools and processes, ensuring consistency of changes from product to product. Notable product changes are indicated by incrementing the version ID (VID), which provides version visibility to help you understand and manage product changes. Version VisibilityĬisco continuously improves products through feature additions and bug fixes. The base PID is consistent whether the product is purchased directly or through a distributor. For instance, an orderable PID may describe a packaging configuration for a product or a bundled group of products sold, tested, and shipped together. Additional orderable PIDs may be associated to a base PID. The PID that is coded on hardware is called a base PID. The combination of serial number and product ID (PID) is unique across all Cisco products.

Cisco part number lookup