Identifying Equipment by Part Number, Serial Number & CLEI/HECI Codes: A Brief Guide

Have you ever looked at a telecom card to find information on it, and all you see are a bunch of letters and numbers that mean absolutely nothing to you? Well, you are certainly not alone. Even some experts can have difficulty trying to locate the specific info they need on equipment. Here are some general pointers that may help some of you out there.

The three main sources of information on a piece of equipment are the faceplate, serial number, and the CLEI/HECI Codes. Here is a brief guide on how to look for these:

1. Start with the faceplate:

Faceplates are the most insightful place to start.  Every manufacturer has their own unique way of marking or identifying information on their cards.  Usually the part number, description, HECI/CLEI code and/or series will be marked somewhere on the face plate. It’s most often the quickest and easiest way to determine what the piece of equipment is.

2.  Where to find the Serial Number:

Serial numbers are critical to locate in cases of emergency replacement or redeployment.  SN’s are typically located on the bottom left of the card when looking at the front of the card.  The SN usually consists of letters and numbers totaling between 6-9 characters depending on the manufacturer.

3. CLEI/HECI Codes:

CLEI/HECI codes are 10 character alpha numeric codes that have a 1:1 relationship to a product identifier (part number). These codes are used to identify network equipment and typically identify all field replaceable units. However, they provide much more information as well.