Patent ID: 7779266

Claim:
A method for controlling one or more pluggable ports of an interface board of a communication device, the method comprising: presetting a password for at least a first pluggable port of the interface board; storing the preset password for the first pluggable port; detecting, during working hours of the communication device, that a pluggable module for the first pluggable port is in position at the first pluggable port of the interface board; determining, if the pluggable module is in position at the first pluggable port of the interface board, whether a state of the first pluggable port is enabled, if the state is not enabled, causing the communication device to await receipt of an externally input password; verifying, upon receipt of the externally input password, the received password with respect to the stored password for the first pluggable port; wherein verifying the received password further comprises: a system control board of the communication device prompting a user to input the externally input password through an output device connecting with the system control board; the system control board of the communication device receiving the externally input password from the user through an input device connecting with the system control board and transmitting the externally input password to the interface board; and the interface board verifying the received externally input password with respect to the stored password for the first pluggable port; enabling or disabling the first pluggable port of the interface board according to the verification result, wherein each of the one or more pluggable ports has a port number, and storing each port number associated with the one or more pluggable ports and a corresponding preset password in the interface board.