# Identifying boards

Within NMS OAM, each board is referenced using the following identifiers:

Identifier | Description
--- | ---
Board name | This is the primary way to identify each board in an NMS OAM resource host. A default board name for each board is created when the board is added to the host. This name can be changed by opening the board managed object and modifying the Name keyword. You can use the board name to gain other information about a board. For details, see Retrieving board information.
Board number | This is the typical way to identify a board in most NMS software products. Each board in a chassis has a unique board number. A default board number for each board is created when the board is added to the host. This number can be changed by opening the board managed object and modifying the Number keyword.
PCI bus and slot | You can identify a board by its unique PCI bus and slot location.

The following secondary ID information is also available:

Identifier | Description
--- | ---
Driver name/driver board ID combination | The driver name is unique among all driver names in the resource host. The driver board ID is unique among all boards accessed by a given driver. However, two boards accessed by different drivers can have the same driver board ID. The driver name and driver board ID together make up an ID for the board that is unique within the resource host.
Serial number | Factory configured number that may not be present for all boards.
Shelf and slot | For CompactPCI CG boards only. Each board has a unique shelf number and slot number. The shelf refers to the backplane (or portion of the backplane) in which the board is installed. Slot refers to the physical slot within the chassis where the board is located. Implementation of shelf and slot differs depending upon the chassis manufacturer and specific hardware settings. Shelf and slot information is available only with CG boards installed in CompactPCI chassis with a bus that complies with PICMG 2.1. Refer to the chassis documentation for more information.
MAC address | For boards with Ethernet capability only. Each board has unique MAC addresses, one for each Ethernet controller on the board.

The following illustration shows the identifiers of each board:

The board identifiers are unique to each board in a resource host. However, boards in different resource hosts can have identical identifiers.