diff --git a/defaults/main.yml b/defaults/main.yml
index 8eafb5a4..275b67e4 100644
--- a/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/defaults/main.yml
@@ -154,14 +154,6 @@ tempest_volume_multi_backend_enabled: False
 
 tempest_main_group: tempest_all
 
-tempest_requires_pip_packages:
-  - python-glanceclient
-  - python-keystoneclient
-  - python-neutronclient
-  - python-novaclient
-  - shade
-  - virtualenv
-
 tempest_pip_packages:
   - ddt
   - junitxml
diff --git a/tasks/tempest_install.yml b/tasks/tempest_install.yml
index a300d4ef..988e193c 100644
--- a/tasks/tempest_install.yml
+++ b/tasks/tempest_install.yml
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@
     state: "{{ tempest_pip_package_state }}"
     extra_args: >-
       {{ tempest_developer_mode | ternary(pip_install_developer_constraints | default('--constraint /opt/developer-pip-constraints.txt'), '') }}
-      {{ (pip_install_upper_constraints is defined) | ternary('--constraint ' + pip_install_upper_constraints | default(''),'') }}
       {{ pip_install_options | default('') }}
   register: install_packages
   until: install_packages|success
diff --git a/vars/redhat-7.yml b/vars/redhat-7.yml
index be2b3209..124ebcbb 100644
--- a/vars/redhat-7.yml
+++ b/vars/redhat-7.yml
@@ -16,5 +16,12 @@
 tempest_distro_packages:
   - git
   - postgresql-devel
+  - python-glanceclient
+  - python-keystoneclient
+  - python-neutronclient
+  - python-novaclient
+  - python2-shade
   - rsync
   - which
+
+tempest_requires_pip_packages: []
diff --git a/vars/suse-42.yml b/vars/suse-42.yml
index 43e275ba..299b4e6e 100644
--- a/vars/suse-42.yml
+++ b/vars/suse-42.yml
@@ -17,5 +17,12 @@
 tempest_distro_packages:
   - git-core
   - postgresql-devel
+  - python-glanceclient
+  - python-keystoneclient
+  - python-neutronclient
+  - python-novaclient
+  - python-shade
   - rsync
   - which
+
+tempest_requires_pip_packages: []
diff --git a/vars/ubuntu-16.04.yml b/vars/ubuntu-16.04.yml
index e0b15440..94b8174c 100644
--- a/vars/ubuntu-16.04.yml
+++ b/vars/ubuntu-16.04.yml
@@ -19,4 +19,13 @@ cache_timeout: 600
 tempest_distro_packages:
   - git-core
   - libpq-dev
+  - python-glanceclient
+  - python-keystoneclient
+  - python-neutronclient
+  - python-novaclient
   - rsync
+
+tempest_requires_pip_packages:
+  - shade # ubuntu xenial provides a rather old shade library. We need >= 1.9.0 for Rocky
+  - virtualenv
+  - setuptools # Ubuntu's setuptools package does not contain pkg-resources and that's causing troubles