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 configurations/*
+!configurations/**/*.md
diff --git a/configurations/VENDORS.md b/configurations/VENDORS.md
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+# Vendors
+
+To simplify the organization and ownership of configuration files, they can be
+organized into vendor-specific subdirectories. This begs the question "what is a
+vendor"?
+
+In some cases a company might design a component (such as a network card),
+manufacture said component, and package it into an elegant cardboard box with
+their logo, which is sold on retail store shelves to customers; this company is
+clearly "the vendor" of said component. Where the situation is less clear is
+when multiple companies are involved in the chain between design and end-user.
+
+For purposes of this repository, the following prioritized guidelines are used
+for identifying the vendor:
+
+1. A company which primarily initiates and oversees the design, manufacture and
+   sale of a component is always the vendor. "Sale" does not require retail but
+   can include components which are exclusively sold to other enterprises for
+   inclusion in their products. This covers typical "components" such as network
+   cards, processors, and mainboards.
+
+2. When a company is assembling a group of components into a single product,
+   which they exclusively label and sell, such as a server chassis, they are the
+   vendor for the assembled product and any sub-components which are exclusively
+   designed for and used by their assembled product(s). Sub-components that are
+   procured from others and may be sold by others for use in other products
+   should be covered by guideline (1).
+
+3. When one company primarily oversees the design but other companies
+   manufacture and/or sell the component or system, such as [OCP][OCP] designs,
+   the company that primarily oversaw the design of the component would be the
+   vendor.
+
+These guidelines are not meant to be exhaustive rules to cover all scenarios and
+contractual arrangements, but simply direction pointing for how the repository
+is intended to be organized. The overriding principle should be: if someone
+claims to be the vendor of a device, they probably are, unless there is strong
+evidence they are not.
+
+[OCP]: https://www.opencompute.org/