This generate_sample.sh tool is used to generate etc/nova/nova.conf.sample Run it from the top-level working directory i.e. $> ./tools/config/generate_sample.sh -b ./ -p nova -o etc/nova Watch out for warnings about modules like libvirt, qpid and zmq not being found - these warnings are significant because they result in options not appearing in the generated config file. The analyze_opts.py tool is used to find options which appear in /etc/nova/nova.conf but not in etc/nova/nova.conf.sample This helps identify options in the nova.conf file which are not used by nova. The tool also identifies any options which are set to the default value. Run it from the top-level working directory i.e. $> ./tools/config/analyze_opts.py