Admin mode on Procurve Switches

Not being a network expert, I spent some time configuring my network, until I found my mistake: On my HP ProCurve Switch 1810G, I thought that "Admin mode" means whether the administrative interface can be accessed from this port. Well, it means whether the port is enabled or not. Extract from the help function:

Admin Mode - Select to enable the port-control administration state. Click to enable and have the port participate in the network.(Default : Enabled )

Well, of course I didn't read the help, because I didn't doubt it's for the adminsitrative interface and suspected an error somewhere else.

Anyway, I am wondering if that is a commonly used term for enabling/disabling ports or if HP just wanted to make my life harder? I can't understand why this option isn't just called "Enable port"!?

Here's a screenshot of how it looks in the web interface (yeah, shame on me for using a web interface)

Solution 1:

It's an HP gui-ism. It could certainly be worded better.

The Cisco equivalent is shutdown and the way that it displays a port in that state is 'Administratively disabled'.