© 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 1

Serial Number Information Finder (SNIF) Training

Last Updated: 3 March 2011 © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Using the SNIF Tool

• Serial Number Information Finder (SNIF) is a tool you can use to search for detailed information on a large number of products.

• Results include product and service coverage data.

What is SNIF?

Last Updated: 3 March 2011 © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Using the SNIF Tool

Accessing SNIF

Step 1: Click the ‘Advanced Search’

hyperlink available from every main

CSCC screen.

Last Updated: 3 March 2011 © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Using the SNIF Tool

Selecting SNIF

Step 2: Select ‘Mass Serial Number

(SNIF)’ from the ‘Search For’ drop-

down menu.

Last Updated: 3 March 2011 © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Using the SNIF Tool

Downloading the Blank SNIF Upload File

Step 3: Click the ‘Click here’ hyperlink

to download the template that will be

used to populate with the serial

numbers of interest.

Last Updated: 3 March 2011 © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Using the SNIF Tool

Populating the SNIF Upload File

Step 4: Review the instructions provided,

populate whatever combination of Serial

Numbers / PAK Numbers, Product

Numbers, and Instance Numbers you

have available, then delete the sample

content and the instructions (Column F).

Last Updated: 3 March 2011 © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Using the SNIF Tool

• Do not submit files with over 10,000 lines.

• Where possible, use an Instance Number to identify products.

• Instance Numbers are now provided on all CSCC contract downloads.

• See the SNIF Search Logic slide for information on how SNIF handles various Instance Number, Serial Number / PAK Number, and Product Number combinations.

• You should remove all duplicates before adding your serial numbers / PAK

numbers to the template.

• This can be performed by using the Advanced Auto-Filter capabilities in Excel and including the ‘Unique Records Only’.

• If duplicates are uploaded with your search, the performance of your request will

be delayed.

Populating the SNIF Upload File

General Best Practices

Duplicate Serial Number Best Practices

Last Updated: 3 March 2011 © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Using the SNIF Tool

Uploading the Populated SNIF Upload File

Step 5: Upload the saved template

populated with the appropriate search

data and enter the email address where

the report should be sent.

Step 6: Click the

‘Search’ button.

Last Updated: 3 March 2011 © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Using the SNIF Tool

Viewing the SNIF Search Request ID

Step 7: You will receive a confirmation

message along with Request ID

number. Your search results will be

emailed to the address you provided.

NOTE:

Do not submit multiple requests for the same SNIF

upload file. Generating multiple SNIF requests before

the first search has completed will result in a longer

processing time for your request.

Last Updated: 3 March 2011 © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Using the SNIF Tool

Tracking the SNIF Search Request ID

Step 8: Your request can be verified

and tracked from the ‘Request Status’

section of the Dashboard screen.

However, you will receive an email

once the request completes.

Last Updated: 3 March 2011 © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential

Using the SNIF Tool

Viewing Your SNIF Search Results

Step 9: View your product results

by accessing the file attached with

the email returned by the system.

The results will detail the coverage

status of the product and additional

useful details.

NOTE:

If you do not have access to view the information for a

product, the data will be returned as ‘*****’. If this occurs,

ensure that you are properly registered to the necessary

contracts. If you are still unable to view the products, it is

because the items are currently covered by another

partner or the system was unable to verify that you have

access to view the uncovered items.

© 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 12

Using the SNIF Tool

Last Updated: 3 March 2011

Data Provided in

SNIF Input File

Instance

Number Found

in Database?

Outcome Displayed in the SNIF Output File

Instance Number

Y All results found associated with the given Instance Number.

N ‘N’ is shown in the Serial Number Found column.

Instance Number

and Serial Number /

PAK Number

Y All results found associated with the given Instance Number and Serial

Number / PAK Number combination.

N All results found associated with the given Serial Number / PAK

Number.

Instance Number

and Product ID

Y All results found associated with the given Instance Number and

Product ID combination.

N All results found associated with the given Product ID.

Instance Number,

Serial Number / PAK

Number and Product

ID

Y All results found associated with the given Instance Number , Serial

Number / PAK Number, and Product ID combination.

N All results found associated with the given Serial Number / PAK

Number and Product ID combination.

SNIF Search Logic

The following table displays the SNIF search logic and outcome displayed for the various Instance Number, Serial Number / PAK Number, and Product ID combinations that you provide in the SNIF Input File.