# Dell Command Warranty - Looking Up Multiple Dell Serial ID’s #dell ## Problem & Contextual Preface *(If you need no contextual explanation and just want the instructions, scroll down to page 2!)* You might already be familiar with the fact that it is possible to go to Dell’s website and search for a machine via its serial ID, and, in return, it will provide some information about that machine. However, this search does not allow for the lookup of more than one serial ID at a time, meaning, **if you are trying to get warranty information for multiple machines or identify and collect information for inventory, you would have to enter each serial ID one at a time.** Doing so would be *silly*, and we don’t have time for that on the Hilltop. Another factor to consider is that the information provided on the website is limited in that it does not provide details such as the ship date (when we got it), last update time, and more. --- ## Solution ### Downloading and Installing the CLI Tool **(1)** First, you will need the **Dell Command | Integration Suite for System Center Warranty Check** application. The installer can also be found [here](https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000146749/dell-command-warranty) after scrolling down a bit to Downloads or in the shared **User Services Google Drive** **(2)** Download and install **Dell Command | Warranty and Dell Command | Integration Suite for System Center for Microsoft System Center 6.5.1** - 6.5.1 is the latest version on the date of writing this document, 5/22/2024) - Note that the full, official Dell documentation can be found [here](https://dl.dell.com/content/manual28110505-dell-command-warranty-version-6-5-user-s-guide.pdf?language=en-us) if you wish to have it - the same instructions in this document, and more, can be found within Dell’s provided PDF. It is called Dell Command | Warranty Version 6.5 User’s Guide. --- ### Prepare Your Serial ID's as a ".csv" **(3)** You will need to have your **serial ID’s** from the target machines and have placed them within an **Excel** sheet (*or something you can save as a* “**.csv**”), as shown in the image. That file needs to be saved as a “**.csv**” file in order to be read by the **Warranty application** (also shown below): - **NOTE:** If you are provided simply with a department or a list of names rather than serial ID’s, **you need to use each person's username in Altiris to identify their machine(s).** - **If you cannot find them in Altiris, they can also be found using Teamviewer** by searching for the username or parsing the folders of available machines if you know the user’s department. - **Remember that Mac’s are managed separately in JAMF;** anyone on your departmental list (or list of any kind) using a Mac will not be found via Altiris. Any serial ID lookup that the warranty tool failed to identify will be placed in a separate outputted “.csv” file.*   --- ### Using the CLI Tool & its Output Files **(4)** Once you have your “**.csv**” file prepared with all of your serial numbers, you will need to **run the command that will execute the warranty check process** on your “**.csv**” file by typing/pasting this into the console and hitting enter: - `DellWarranty-CLI.exe /I=C:\$location\$serial-filename.csv` - (replace the `$location` and `$serial-filename` pieces with the local file location on your machine and the name you saved the **serial list .csv file** as)  **(5)** As shown above, the program will indicate the **number of valid serial ID’s** found in your “**.csv**” file, and then **output a file** containing all of the information in a location listed in the output. Navigate to that file (you can relocate it, if you wish to) and open it: **this should launch Excel and your results will be on display** (shown in image below). - Some columns may need to be expanded in width in order to view the information in them, as indicated by cells being filled by “**#**” symbols. - Any invalid serial ID’s will be outputted in a second “**.csv**” file in the same location, and the total number of invalid ID’s will also be displayed in the resulting output in the command window.  --- ### For readability purposes you can: (*Optional step*) **(a)** Expand some rows, such as any detailing *model information* and *shipping date* **AND/OR:** **(b)** Hide rows that aren’t useful for you, such as the *BUID, *Country Code, *Initial Type*, and *Service Provider* - It might be a good idea to check with whomever requested this data from you what information they would like to have most prominently displayed.  Now, **all that’s left is to provide your findings to whomever requested them, or to figure out why any serial ID’s returned as invalid**. **Anything invalid may not be a Dell machine**–you can double check by pasting it into the Dell website lookup and see if it returns a machine. Also, **always remember to double check there are not missing or incorrect characters in the serial ID’s!** If you have the Excel skills and can format the output file further, per the desires of whomever requested the data, certainly feel free to do so. --- **If you have any issues or cannot get it to work, feel free to contact me on Slack - Matthew Sparks/msparks1@stedwards - or email me any questions!**