Non-Functional Requirements
Overview
This document defines the non-functional requirements (NFRs) for the VMware vRA CLI, including performance, scalability, security, usability, maintainability, and other quality attributes that the system must satisfy.
Performance Requirements
Response Time
- NFR-001: CLI commands must respond within 2 seconds for simple operations (authentication status, configuration display)
- NFR-002: API-dependent operations must complete within 10 seconds under normal conditions
- NFR-003: Bulk operations (export, delete multiple deployments) must provide progress indicators for operations exceeding 30 seconds
- NFR-004: File I/O operations (configuration, export) must complete within 5 seconds for files up to 10MB
Throughput
- NFR-005: Support concurrent execution of up to 10 parallel API requests without degradation
- NFR-006: Handle export operations for up to 1000 deployments within 5 minutes
- NFR-007: Process bulk tag operations for up to 500 resources within 2 minutes
Resource Utilization
- NFR-008: Memory usage must not exceed 512MB during normal operations
- NFR-009: Peak memory usage must not exceed 1GB during large bulk operations
- NFR-010: CPU usage must remain below 25% during idle state
- NFR-011: Disk space usage for logs and cache must not exceed 100MB
Scalability Requirements
Data Volume
- NFR-012: Support environments with up to 10,000 deployments
- NFR-013: Handle catalog with up to 1,000 available items
- NFR-014: Support up to 100 concurrent workflow executions
- NFR-015: Manage up to 50,000 resource tags across all deployments
User Load
- NFR-016: Support multiple CLI instances per user without conflict
- NFR-017: Handle shared configuration scenarios in team environments
- NFR-018: Support concurrent access to the same vRA environment by multiple users
Availability Requirements
Uptime
- NFR-019: CLI must be available for operation 99.9% of the time
- NFR-020: Graceful handling of vRA API unavailability with appropriate error messages
- NFR-021: Offline mode capability for configuration management and help documentation
Recovery
- NFR-022: Automatic recovery from transient network failures within 30 seconds
- NFR-023: Resume interrupted operations where possible (bulk exports, large downloads)
- NFR-024: Maintain operation continuity during token refresh cycles
Security Requirements
Authentication and Authorization
- NFR-025: Implement secure token storage using platform-native keyring services
- NFR-026: Support multi-factor authentication when required by vRA
- NFR-027: Automatic token cleanup on logout or application termination
- NFR-028: Session timeout handling with graceful re-authentication prompts
Data Protection
- NFR-029: Encrypt all sensitive data at rest (tokens, cached credentials)
- NFR-030: Use TLS 1.2+ for all network communications
- NFR-031: Mask sensitive information in logs and output
- NFR-032: Implement secure memory handling for credentials
Compliance
- NFR-033: Adhere to VMware security guidelines and best practices
- NFR-034: Support audit logging for compliance requirements
- NFR-035: Implement role-based access control consistent with vRA permissions
Usability Requirements
User Experience
- NFR-036: Provide consistent command syntax across all operations
- NFR-037: Offer comprehensive help documentation for all commands
- NFR-038: Support command-line completion and suggestions
- NFR-039: Provide meaningful error messages with suggested resolutions
Accessibility
- NFR-040: Support screen readers and accessibility tools
- NFR-041: Provide text-only output options for automated processing
- NFR-042: Support high-contrast terminal themes
Internationalization
- NFR-043: Support UTF-8 encoding for international character sets
- NFR-044: Handle timezone-aware date/time operations
- NFR-045: Provide English language interface (baseline requirement)
Compatibility Requirements
Platform Support
- NFR-046: Support Windows 10/11, macOS 10.15+, and Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+)
- NFR-047: Compatible with Python 3.8+ runtime environments
- NFR-048: Support both x86_64 and ARM64 architectures
Integration
- NFR-049: Compatible with VMware vRA 8.x and vRA Cloud
- NFR-050: Integration with common CI/CD platforms (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions)
- NFR-051: Shell integration for bash, zsh, and PowerShell environments
Maintainability Requirements
Code Quality
- NFR-052: Maintain minimum 80% unit test coverage
- NFR-053: Adhere to PEP 8 Python coding standards
- NFR-054: Implement comprehensive logging for debugging and monitoring
- NFR-055: Use static code analysis tools to maintain code quality
Documentation
- NFR-056: Maintain comprehensive API documentation
- NFR-057: Provide architecture and design documentation
- NFR-058: Include troubleshooting guides and FAQ
- NFR-059: Maintain up-to-date user guides and examples
Deployment
- NFR-060: Support automated testing and continuous integration
- NFR-061: Provide automated build and packaging processes
- NFR-062: Enable easy installation through package managers (pip, conda)
Reliability Requirements
Error Handling
- NFR-063: Graceful degradation when optional features are unavailable
- NFR-064: Comprehensive error logging without exposing sensitive information
- NFR-065: Automatic retry mechanisms for transient failures
- NFR-066: Consistent error reporting across all operations
Data Integrity
- NFR-067: Validate all input data before processing
- NFR-068: Implement checksums for exported data files
- NFR-069: Atomic operations for configuration changes
- NFR-070: Backup and recovery mechanisms for configuration data
Monitoring and Observability
Logging
- NFR-071: Implement structured logging with configurable levels
- NFR-072: Support log rotation and archival policies
- NFR-073: Provide performance metrics for key operations
- NFR-074: Enable debug logging for troubleshooting
Metrics
- NFR-075: Track API response times and success rates
- NFR-076: Monitor authentication token lifecycle events
- NFR-077: Collect usage statistics for feature optimization
- NFR-078: Provide health check capabilities for monitoring systems
Installation and Configuration
Installation
- NFR-079: Installation process must complete within 2 minutes
- NFR-080: Support silent/unattended installation modes
- NFR-081: Minimal system requirements: 100MB disk space, 256MB RAM
- NFR-082: No administrative privileges required for user installation
Configuration
- NFR-083: Zero-configuration startup for basic operations
- NFR-084: Configuration wizard for initial setup
- NFR-085: Import/export configuration for environment migration
- NFR-086: Validation of configuration settings with helpful error messages
Testing and Quality Assurance
Test Coverage
- NFR-087: Automated unit tests with 80%+ code coverage
- NFR-088: Integration tests for all API interactions
- NFR-089: End-to-end tests for critical user workflows
- NFR-090: Performance tests for scalability validation
Quality Metrics
- NFR-091: Static code analysis with zero critical issues
- NFR-092: Security scanning with no high-severity vulnerabilities
- NFR-093: Dependency vulnerability scanning and updates
- NFR-094: Regular quality gate reviews and approvals
Compliance and Standards
Industry Standards
- NFR-095: Comply with OWASP security guidelines
- NFR-096: Follow RFC standards for HTTP/HTTPS communications
- NFR-097: Adhere to JSON Schema standards for data validation
- NFR-098: Implement OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect standards where applicable
Organizational Standards
- NFR-099: Follow VMware development and security guidelines
- NFR-100: Comply with enterprise logging and monitoring requirements
Measurement and Validation
These non-functional requirements will be validated through:
- Performance Testing: Load testing, stress testing, and benchmark measurements
- Security Testing: Penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and security audits
- Usability Testing: User experience evaluation and accessibility testing
- Compatibility Testing: Multi-platform testing across supported environments
- Reliability Testing: Chaos engineering and failure scenario testing
Each requirement will be assigned measurable criteria and validated through automated testing and manual verification processes.