adding base documentation

src/test/smoketest/SMOKE_TEST.md

@@ -2,9 +2,53 @@
 
 ---
 
-### What they do...
-When updating the HAPI-FHIR version, or making changes to the JPA server starter code itself, 
+When updating the supporting HAPI-FHIR version, or making changes to the JPA server starter code itself, it is sometimes 
+useful to run basic smoke tests to ensure the basic functionality of the server is maintained. The goal of these tests is
+to provide users a quick way to run groups of tests that correspond to various sections within the 
+[HAPI-FHIR documentation][Link-HAPI-FHIR-docs].
 
-### Requirements...
+### Requirements
+Tests are written in IntelliJ [HTTP Client Request files][Link-HTTP-Client-Req-Intro]. Ultimate edition of IntelliJ
+is required to run these tests.
 
-### How to run the smoke test...
+For more details on integrated tooling and request syntax, there is [documentation available][Link-HTTP-Client-Req-Exploring]
+on the jetbrains website, in addition to the [API reference][Link-HTTP-Client-Req-API].
+
+### Formatting
+As mentioned, each test file corresponds to a given section within the hapifhir documentation as close as possible. For 
+example, there is a `plain_server.rest` file, which attemps to smoke test all basic functionality outlined in the section
+[within the docs][Link-HAPI-FHIR-docs-plain-server].
+
+Individual tests are formatted as follows:
+```javascript
+### Test Title Here
+# <link to relevant documentation>
+REST-OPERATION ENDPOINT-URL
+// Verification Steps
+```
+
+Users can setup custom environment variables for running tests locally against their own servers. This can be done by
+adding environment information within the `http-client.env.json` file. By default, we provide the following:
+```json
+{
+  "default": {
+    "host": "localhost:8080",
+    "username": "username",
+    "password": "password"
+  }
+}
+```
+
+### Running the Tests
+Within IntelliJ, right click the file you wish to run tests in and select the `Run All` option from the menu.
+
+**Important:** Tests may not work individually when run. Often times, tests need to be run sequentially, as they depend
+on resources/references from previous tests to complete. _(An example of this would be adding a Patient, saving the id, 
+then using that idea to test if we can successfully PATCH that Patient resource.)_
+
+
+[Link-HAPI-FHIR-docs]: https://hapifhir.io/hapi-fhir/docs/
+[Link-HAPI-FHIR-docs-plain-server]: https://hapifhir.io/hapi-fhir/docs/server_plain/server_types.html
+[Link-HTTP-Client-Req-Intro]: https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/http-client-in-product-code-editor.html
+[Link-HTTP-Client-Req-Exploring]: https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/exploring-http-syntax.html
+[Link-HTTP-Client-Req-API]: https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/http-response-handling-api-reference.html