Installing OpenStack CLI Clients

This tutorial describes how to quickly get started with the OpenStack CLI (Command Line Interface) clients with Platform9. OpenStack CLI clients enable faster and easier automation of repetitive operations.

Source Your OpenStack RC File

The OpenStack RC file captures the configuration parameters necessary for the OpenStack CLIs to communicate with the REST API endpoints exposed by OpenStack. The Platform9 Managed OpenStack user interface conveniently exposes the RC file for you. To locate this file, navigate to the Access and Security menu within Platform9’s Clarity UI then select the API Access tab.

1. Copy the contents of the OpenStack RC section into a new file (e.g., pf9-openstack.rc), on a computer that has access to both the Platform9 API endpoints, and Glance image catalog.
2. Update the value for the OS_PASSWORD parameter with your account password the Platform9 OpenStack deployment and save. (Remember to secure the file since it contains the password to login to your private cloud.)
3. Source the saved OpenStack RC file:

source <path to saved openstack RC>

At this point, you are ready to install the OpenStack CLI tools.

Install the OpenStack CLIs

It is important to install OpenStack client versions that are compatible with the version of OpenStack deployed by Platform9. Follow the instructions below to install the correct version of the OpenStack CLI clients along with their required dependencies.

Operating System/Container Platform specific instructions

• CentOS 7
• Docker
• Ubuntu 14.04 and Ubuntu 16.04
• Windows

Generic installation instructions

1. Download the requirements.txt file from Platform9’s Github.
2. Run the following command to install the packages specified in the file with their correct versions.

pip install --upgrade --requirement <filename> --constraint http://raw.githubusercontent.com/openstack/requirements/stable/newton/upper-constraints.txt

This will install OpenStack CLI clients for the core OpenStack projects in addition to several other supported projects.

Note: The OpenStack CLI clients require Python 2.7. Ensure the host where you intend to install these clients has this Python version installed.

Start Using the OpenStack Command Lines

That’s it. You now have full access to the OpenStack command line. To get going, simply execute “openstack” from your CLI:

openstack

Refer to the OpenStack Client documentation for additional information on leveraging the CLI.

To enable access to OpenStack CLI through a proxy server, refer to Providing Access to OpenStack CLI through a Proxy Server.