1*49734df6SPatrick Williams# Vendors 2*49734df6SPatrick Williams 3*49734df6SPatrick WilliamsTo simplify the organization and ownership of configuration files, they can be 4*49734df6SPatrick Williamsorganized into vendor-specific subdirectories. This begs the question "what is a 5*49734df6SPatrick Williamsvendor"? 6*49734df6SPatrick Williams 7*49734df6SPatrick WilliamsIn some cases a company might design a component (such as a network card), 8*49734df6SPatrick Williamsmanufacture said component, and package it into an elegant cardboard box with 9*49734df6SPatrick Williamstheir logo, which is sold on retail store shelves to customers; this company is 10*49734df6SPatrick Williamsclearly "the vendor" of said component. Where the situation is less clear is 11*49734df6SPatrick Williamswhen multiple companies are involved in the chain between design and end-user. 12*49734df6SPatrick Williams 13*49734df6SPatrick WilliamsFor purposes of this repository, the following prioritized guidelines are used 14*49734df6SPatrick Williamsfor identifying the vendor: 15*49734df6SPatrick Williams 16*49734df6SPatrick Williams1. A company which primarily initiates and oversees the design, manufacture and 17*49734df6SPatrick Williams sale of a component is always the vendor. "Sale" does not require retail but 18*49734df6SPatrick Williams can include components which are exclusively sold to other enterprises for 19*49734df6SPatrick Williams inclusion in their products. This covers typical "components" such as network 20*49734df6SPatrick Williams cards, processors, and mainboards. 21*49734df6SPatrick Williams 22*49734df6SPatrick Williams2. When a company is assembling a group of components into a single product, 23*49734df6SPatrick Williams which they exclusively label and sell, such as a server chassis, they are the 24*49734df6SPatrick Williams vendor for the assembled product and any sub-components which are exclusively 25*49734df6SPatrick Williams designed for and used by their assembled product(s). Sub-components that are 26*49734df6SPatrick Williams procured from others and may be sold by others for use in other products 27*49734df6SPatrick Williams should be covered by guideline (1). 28*49734df6SPatrick Williams 29*49734df6SPatrick Williams3. When one company primarily oversees the design but other companies 30*49734df6SPatrick Williams manufacture and/or sell the component or system, such as [OCP][OCP] designs, 31*49734df6SPatrick Williams the company that primarily oversaw the design of the component would be the 32*49734df6SPatrick Williams vendor. 33*49734df6SPatrick Williams 34*49734df6SPatrick WilliamsThese guidelines are not meant to be exhaustive rules to cover all scenarios and 35*49734df6SPatrick Williamscontractual arrangements, but simply direction pointing for how the repository 36*49734df6SPatrick Williamsis intended to be organized. The overriding principle should be: if someone 37*49734df6SPatrick Williamsclaims to be the vendor of a device, they probably are, unless there is strong 38*49734df6SPatrick Williamsevidence they are not. 39*49734df6SPatrick Williams 40*49734df6SPatrick Williams[OCP]: https://www.opencompute.org/ 41