Dedicated Server Network Setup

I’m a student currently working on a digital-infrastructure assignment focused on réseaux informatiques, and I need hands-on help getting a set of serveurs dédiés up and running. The core of the job is the complete mise en place et configuration of these machines so they communicate cleanly within a small test network and can later scale to a production-ready environment.

What I already have:
• Physical access to the dedicated servers and basic network hardware
• A rough topology diagram and IP-address plan

What I need from you:
• Step-by-step configuration of the network layer (switch / router settings, VLANs if appropriate, routing or bridging decisions)
• OS installation and hardening on each dedicated server, including essential services I’ll specify during kickoff
• Clear, student-friendly documentation of every command, config file, and design choice so I can explain the process in class

Success for me is being able to power up the servers, see them communicate flawlessly across the network, and understand exactly why each setting was chosen. If you can walk me through best practices while we work—bonus points.