Serial Number and Traceability
Traceability is the labelling of every board with a unique serial number and the recording of which production batch, board revision and software version it was produced with. A single number coming from the field makes it possible to reach that board's production and test history.
The record typically contains the following fields: serial number, production date, production batch, board revision, loaded software version and functional test results. For critical components the supplier batch number is also added.
- Failure analysis: if the same symptom is coming from more than one board, this record separates whether the common factor is the batch, the revision or the software version.
- Narrowing the scope: when a problem appears in a component batch, because it is known which boards were produced from that batch, the affected products are reduced to a limited set.
- Service history: what was previously done to the same board in service is traced from the number.
On the user side the practical equivalent is this: sending the serial number on the product label and the revision code on the board with a support request quickly reveals whether the problem is a known issue. That is why keeping the label legible is important; the label must not be covered over during installation.
The context in which this term is used: Our Services