As part of an initial stakeholder meeting, one of the stakeholders has stated the following:•...

In VMware’s Cloud Foundation 9.0.1 Design and Architecture Guide, design inputs are categorized into four classifications — requirements, constraints, assumptions, and risks. A constraint is defined as “a limiting factor that restricts the architect’s design choices or available options.”

The stakeholder statement dictates that “all new host server hardware must be deployed using our selected hardware vendor and server model,” which limits the architect’s ability to choose alternative hardware configurations. This statement explicitly restricts design flexibility and hardware options — hence, it is classified as a constraint.

VMware emphasizes that constraints are often based on corporate standards, vendor contracts, or compliance policies and must be adhered to during solution design. The architect must document such constraints clearly, as they directly influence hardware compatibility, procurement, and lifecycle management decisions.

References (VMware Cloud Foundation documents):

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.1 Design Guide — “Design Inputs: Requirements, Constraints, Assumptions, and Risks”

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.1 Architecture Overview — “Hardware Vendor and Compatibility Constraints”