Default VLAN & Primary VLAN

[summitville]

  We have two HP 2620 Switches configured as follows:  "Voice VLAN 10" and "Data VLAN 40".  I am not knowingly using "Default VLAN 1" for anything. The VOIP  VLAN is only in the main HP 2620 Switch #1 and is working well.  There is a "Switch Port - to - Switch Port" connection between the main HP 2620 Switch #1 and the secondary HP 2620 Switch #2. Switch #1 is routing to a Metro-Ethernet connection and Switch #2 is not routing. Both switches have Static IP Addresses and Static Default Gateways.

 My first set of questions are ...

1) Should I leave the Primary LAN as the "Default LAN 1" or change to "Data LAN 40" ? 

     I cannot find any information as to WHY I should or should not change the Primary LAN setting.

2) Do I need to assign a static IP Address to the "Default  VLAN 1" in each HP 2620 Switch ?

    What information, if any, is processed by the "Default VLAN 1" ?

 3) Do I need to pass the "Default VLAN 1" packets between the two switch-to-switch ports ?

Thank You,

Summitville

[Vince-Whirlwind]

Which VLAN's subnet are you using to address your switches?

1/ I usually make the Primary VLAN the same as the "Management" VLAN, which is the VLAN the switch has its IP address in.

2/ Switch #1: No, you don't need an address on VLAN1 if you are not using it for routing.

Switch #2: No, this is a layer2 switch, you should not have any other IP addresses on this switch except its management VLAN IP address.

3/ If I'm setting up a new network, I remove VLAN1 from all switch-switch links. If I'm working on an existing network, and they've left VLAN1 on links, I remove it if it's convenient, but I'm not massively paranoid about it.

Your basic security best-practice for switch-switch links:

 - no untagged VLAN, or, if you must have one, use an untagged VLAN that exists nowhere else in your network.

 - no VLAN1