diff --git a/playbooks/enable-fips.yaml b/playbooks/enable-fips.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c8f042d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playbooks/enable-fips.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+- hosts: all
+  tasks:
+    - include_role:
+        name: enable-fips
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/add-ssh-key-type-38d7a2f900d79842.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/add-ssh-key-type-38d7a2f900d79842.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fef3004
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/add-ssh-key-type-38d7a2f900d79842.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+features:
+  - |
+    Add parameter to specify the SSH key type.  Current options are 'rsa'
+    (which is the default) and 'ecdsa'.  Tempest now supports the importing
+    and generation of both 'rsa' and 'ecdsa' SSH key types.
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index c71cabe..bc8358b 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 jsonschema>=3.2.0 # MIT
 testtools>=2.2.0 # MIT
 paramiko>=2.7.0 # LGPLv2.1+
+cryptography>=2.1 # BSD/Apache-2.0
 netaddr>=0.7.18 # BSD
 oslo.concurrency>=3.26.0 # Apache-2.0
 oslo.config>=5.2.0 # Apache-2.0
diff --git a/tempest/api/compute/servers/test_attach_interfaces.py b/tempest/api/compute/servers/test_attach_interfaces.py
index ac18442..efecd6c 100644
--- a/tempest/api/compute/servers/test_attach_interfaces.py
+++ b/tempest/api/compute/servers/test_attach_interfaces.py
@@ -68,7 +68,8 @@
             self.image_ssh_password,
             validation_resources['keypair']['private_key'],
             server=server,
-            servers_client=self.servers_client)
+            servers_client=self.servers_client,
+            ssh_key_type=CONF.validation.ssh_key_type)
         linux_client.validate_authentication()
 
     def _create_server_get_interfaces(self):
diff --git a/tempest/clients.py b/tempest/clients.py
index 327f0da..4c3d875 100644
--- a/tempest/clients.py
+++ b/tempest/clients.py
@@ -118,7 +118,8 @@
         self.server_groups_client = self.compute.ServerGroupsClient()
         self.limits_client = self.compute.LimitsClient()
         self.compute_images_client = self.compute.ImagesClient()
-        self.keypairs_client = self.compute.KeyPairsClient()
+        self.keypairs_client = self.compute.KeyPairsClient(
+            ssh_key_type=CONF.validation.ssh_key_type)
         self.quotas_client = self.compute.QuotasClient()
         self.quota_classes_client = self.compute.QuotaClassesClient()
         self.flavors_client = self.compute.FlavorsClient()
diff --git a/tempest/common/utils/linux/remote_client.py b/tempest/common/utils/linux/remote_client.py
index 5d6e129..9d9fab7 100644
--- a/tempest/common/utils/linux/remote_client.py
+++ b/tempest/common/utils/linux/remote_client.py
@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@
             console_output_enabled=CONF.compute_feature_enabled.console_output,
             ssh_shell_prologue=CONF.validation.ssh_shell_prologue,
             ping_count=CONF.validation.ping_count,
-            ping_size=CONF.validation.ping_size)
+            ping_size=CONF.validation.ping_size,
+            ssh_key_type=CONF.validation.ssh_key_type)
 
     # Note that this method will not work on SLES11 guests, as they do
     # not support the TYPE column on lsblk
diff --git a/tempest/config.py b/tempest/config.py
index a840a97..03ddbf5 100644
--- a/tempest/config.py
+++ b/tempest/config.py
@@ -970,6 +970,10 @@
                default='public',
                help="Network used for SSH connections. Ignored if "
                     "connect_method=floating."),
+    cfg.StrOpt('ssh_key_type',
+               default='rsa',
+               help='Type of key to use for ssh connections. '
+                    'Valid types are rsa, ecdsa'),
 ]
 
 volume_group = cfg.OptGroup(name='volume',
diff --git a/tempest/lib/common/ssh.py b/tempest/lib/common/ssh.py
index ee15375..eb03faa 100644
--- a/tempest/lib/common/ssh.py
+++ b/tempest/lib/common/ssh.py
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 
     def __init__(self, host, username, password=None, timeout=300, pkey=None,
                  channel_timeout=10, look_for_keys=False, key_filename=None,
-                 port=22, proxy_client=None):
+                 port=22, proxy_client=None, ssh_key_type='rsa'):
         """SSH client.
 
         Many of parameters are just passed to the underlying implementation
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@
         :param proxy_client: Another SSH client to provide a transport
             for ssh-over-ssh.  The default is None, which means
             not to use ssh-over-ssh.
+        :param ssh_key_type: ssh key type (rsa, ecdsa)
         :type proxy_client: ``tempest.lib.common.ssh.Client`` object
         """
         self.host = host
@@ -66,8 +67,15 @@
         self.port = port
         self.password = password
         if isinstance(pkey, str):
-            pkey = paramiko.RSAKey.from_private_key(
-                io.StringIO(str(pkey)))
+            if ssh_key_type == 'rsa':
+                pkey = paramiko.RSAKey.from_private_key(
+                    io.StringIO(str(pkey)))
+            elif ssh_key_type == 'ecdsa':
+                pkey = paramiko.ECDSAKey.from_private_key(
+                    io.StringIO(str(pkey)))
+            else:
+                raise exceptions.SSHClientUnsupportedKeyType(
+                    key_type=ssh_key_type)
         self.pkey = pkey
         self.look_for_keys = look_for_keys
         self.key_filename = key_filename
diff --git a/tempest/lib/common/utils/linux/remote_client.py b/tempest/lib/common/utils/linux/remote_client.py
index d84dd28..224f3bf 100644
--- a/tempest/lib/common/utils/linux/remote_client.py
+++ b/tempest/lib/common/utils/linux/remote_client.py
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
                  server=None, servers_client=None, ssh_timeout=300,
                  connect_timeout=60, console_output_enabled=True,
                  ssh_shell_prologue="set -eu -o pipefail; PATH=$PATH:/sbin;",
-                 ping_count=1, ping_size=56):
+                 ping_count=1, ping_size=56, ssh_key_type='rsa'):
         """Executes commands in a VM over ssh
 
         :param ip_address: IP address to ssh to
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@
         :param ssh_shell_prologue: Shell fragments to use before command
         :param ping_count: Number of ping packets
         :param ping_size: Packet size for ping packets
+        :param ssh_key_type: ssh key type (rsa, ecdsa)
         """
         self.server = server
         self.servers_client = servers_client
@@ -92,10 +93,12 @@
         self.ssh_shell_prologue = ssh_shell_prologue
         self.ping_count = ping_count
         self.ping_size = ping_size
+        self.ssh_key_type = ssh_key_type
 
         self.ssh_client = ssh.Client(ip_address, username, password,
                                      ssh_timeout, pkey=pkey,
-                                     channel_timeout=connect_timeout)
+                                     channel_timeout=connect_timeout,
+                                     ssh_key_type=ssh_key_type)
 
     @debug_ssh
     def exec_command(self, cmd):
diff --git a/tempest/lib/exceptions.py b/tempest/lib/exceptions.py
index abe68d2..dd7885e 100644
--- a/tempest/lib/exceptions.py
+++ b/tempest/lib/exceptions.py
@@ -256,6 +256,10 @@
                "%(port)s and username: %(username)s as parent")
 
 
+class SSHClientUnsupportedKeyType(TempestException):
+    message = ("SSH client: unsupported key type %(key_type)s")
+
+
 class UnknownServiceClient(TempestException):
     message = "Service clients named %(services)s are not known"
 
diff --git a/tempest/lib/services/compute/keypairs_client.py b/tempest/lib/services/compute/keypairs_client.py
index 9d7b7fc..51a4583 100644
--- a/tempest/lib/services/compute/keypairs_client.py
+++ b/tempest/lib/services/compute/keypairs_client.py
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
 
 from urllib import parse as urllib
 
+from cryptography.hazmat.backends import default_backend
+from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.asymmetric import ec
+from cryptography.hazmat.primitives import serialization
+
 from oslo_serialization import jsonutils as json
 
 from tempest.lib.api_schema.response.compute.v2_1 import keypairs as schemav21
@@ -28,6 +32,12 @@
     schema_versions_info = [{'min': None, 'max': '2.1', 'schema': schemav21},
                             {'min': '2.2', 'max': None, 'schema': schemav22}]
 
+    def __init__(self, auth_provider, service, region,
+                 ssh_key_type='rsa', **kwargs):
+        super(KeyPairsClient, self).__init__(
+            auth_provider, service, region, **kwargs)
+        self.ssh_key_type = ssh_key_type
+
     def list_keypairs(self, **params):
         """Lists keypairs that are associated with the account.
 
@@ -67,12 +77,30 @@
         API reference:
         https://docs.openstack.org/api-ref/compute/#create-or-import-keypair
         """
+        pkey = None
+        if (self.ssh_key_type == 'ecdsa' and 'public_key' not in kwargs and
+            ('type' not in kwargs or kwargs['type'] == 'ssh')):
+            # create a ecdsa key and pass the public key into the request
+            pkey = ec.generate_private_key(ec.SECP384R1(), default_backend())
+            pubkey = pkey.public_key().public_bytes(
+                encoding=serialization.Encoding.OpenSSH,
+                format=serialization.PublicFormat.OpenSSH)
+            kwargs['public_key'] = pubkey
+
         post_body = json.dumps({'keypair': kwargs})
         resp, body = self.post("os-keypairs", body=post_body)
         body = json.loads(body)
         schema = self.get_schema(self.schema_versions_info)
         self.validate_response(schema.create_keypair, resp, body)
-        return rest_client.ResponseBody(resp, body)
+        resp_body = rest_client.ResponseBody(resp, body)
+        if pkey:
+            # add the privkey to the response as it was generated here
+            privkey = pkey.private_bytes(
+                encoding=serialization.Encoding.PEM,
+                format=serialization.PrivateFormat.TraditionalOpenSSL,
+                encryption_algorithm=serialization.NoEncryption())
+            resp_body['keypair']['private_key'] = privkey.decode('utf-8')
+        return resp_body
 
     def delete_keypair(self, keypair_name, **params):
         """Deletes a keypair.
diff --git a/zuul.d/integrated-gate.yaml b/zuul.d/integrated-gate.yaml
index b86268a..1051ccc 100644
--- a/zuul.d/integrated-gate.yaml
+++ b/zuul.d/integrated-gate.yaml
@@ -296,6 +296,22 @@
         TEMPEST_VOLUME_TYPE: volumev2
 
 - job:
+    name: tempest-centos8-stream-fips
+    parent: devstack-tempest
+    description: |
+      Integration testing for a FIPS enabled Centos 8 system
+    nodeset: devstack-single-node-centos-8-stream
+    pre-run: playbooks/enable-fips.yaml
+    vars:
+      tox_envlist: full
+      configure_swap_size: 4096
+      devstack_local_conf:
+        test-config:
+          "$TEMPEST_CONFIG":
+            validation:
+              ssh_key_type: 'ecdsa'
+
+- job:
     name: tempest-pg-full
     parent: tempest-full-py3
     description: |
diff --git a/zuul.d/project.yaml b/zuul.d/project.yaml
index 9ab10d7..3f98f7e 100644
--- a/zuul.d/project.yaml
+++ b/zuul.d/project.yaml
@@ -161,6 +161,8 @@
             irrelevant-files: *tempest-irrelevant-files
         - tempest-full-py3-opensuse15:
             irrelevant-files: *tempest-irrelevant-files
+        - tempest-centos8-stream-fips:
+            irrelevant-files: *tempest-irrelevant-files
     periodic-stable:
       jobs:
         - tempest-full-xena