Methods, computing systems and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include defining a plurality of failure domains for sets of storage devices in a storage facility, and defining, using the failure domains, one or more limitations for distributing data on the storage devices. Upon identifying a data distribution configuration for a software defined storage system that is compliant with the one or more limitations, the identified data distribution configuration can be presented to a user. The failure domains may include physical failure domains, logical failure domains, or a combination of physical and logical failure domains, and the limitations may include mandatory limitations or a combination of mandatory and non-mandatory limitations. In embodiments including non-mandatory limitations, the data distribution configuration may not comply with all the non-mandatory limitations, and any non-mandatory limitations that are not met can be flagged and presented to the user.