Pip is preferred. The general CS infrastructure is a good starting point. However, our experience has been that the software installs cleanly and is free from dependency problems.

Try:

python3 -m pip install --user python-openstackclient

Use the ~/.config/openstack/clouds.yaml file to direct your client.

Instead of taking risks and storing your University credentials in the file, use the Web Interface to create an Application Credential. Click the menu on the left side, Identity→Application Credentials. On the right side of the top of the page, click "Create Application Credential". Complete the form and check the box for unrestricted access. Save the clouds.yaml file in your configuration directory.

See the Python Examples Document for detailed configuration recommendations.

For convenience, export the cloud name to your environment. Otherwise, all commands must include the flag –os-cloud=openstack:

export OS_CLOUD=openstack 

For more tips and usage information, see the Annotated Example Usage