Q. Is there a way to under Linux to find out the Serial number of a device plugged into the system?
A. Yes, there is a simple command:
lsusb -v
This will produce a long output, so it's best to pipe it into a "more" or just a text file. iSerial is what you are looking for:
Bus 001 Device 012: ID 0bc2:a0a4 Seagate RSS LLC
Device Descriptor:
bLength 18
bDescriptorType 1
bcdUSB 2.10
bDeviceClass 0 (Defined at Interface level)
bDeviceSubClass 0
bDeviceProtocol 0
bMaxPacketSize0 64
idVendor 0x0bc2 Seagate RSS LLC
idProduct 0xa0a4
bcdDevice 1.00
iManufacturer 2 Seagate
iProduct 3 Backup+ Desk
iSerial 1 NA5JF4A8
bNumConfigurations 1