To request Technical Assistance Center (TAC) support for your appliance.
Occasionally, you may see "To Be Filled By O.E.M." or a blank space in the serial number field. This happens under specific circumstances:
SSH into your pfSense unit or select option 8 from the console menu to enter the shell. Run the following command to query the SMBIOS/DMI data: dmidecode -s system-serial-number Use code with caution.
22.05-RELEASE (amd64) built on Mon Aug 08 18:26:25 UTC 2022 SG3100W123456789 pfsense serial number
Understanding and knowing the serial number of your pfSense installation is crucial for several reasons:
Example command structure (card specific):
If the WebGUI is inaccessible, or if you are automating inventory tracking via SSH, you can retrieve the serial number using the pfSense command-line interface. Method A: Using SSH or the Serial Console Menu To request Technical Assistance Center (TAC) support for
Connect to the console (Serial or SSH) and select option 12 (Developer Shell) or 8 (Shell). Run the following command to query the hardware BIOS:
Let’s jump into the story of , a junior network admin at a regional library system.
: This is the most reliable tool for pulling BIOS/hardware info. Install it (if not present): pkg install dmidecode /usr/local/sbin/dmidecode -t 1 | grep "Serial Number" : You can also check the kernel environment variables: kenv | grep smbios.system.serial Netgate Forum Serial Number vs. Netgate Device ID (NDI) Run the following command to query the SMBIOS/DMI
Key takeaways include:
The most direct way to find the serial number is through the pfSense Dashboard .
Example: SG3100W123456789 might decode as: SG-3100, Week 12 of 2023, unit #456789.
How a serial number works and why you should use it | Blog - Rentman