diff --git a/doc/source/configuration.rst b/doc/source/configuration.rst
index 15369de..4fe2e9f 100644
--- a/doc/source/configuration.rst
+++ b/doc/source/configuration.rst
@@ -84,13 +84,11 @@
 
 To enable and use locking test accounts you need do a few things:
 
- #. Enable the locking test account provider with the
-    locking_credentials_provider option in the auth section
  #. Create a accounts.yaml file which contains the set of pre-existing
     credentials to use for testing. To make sure you don't have a credentials
     starvation issue when running in parallel make sure you have at least 2
-    times the number of parallel workers you are using to execute tempest
-    available in the file.
+    times the number of worker processes you are using to execute tempest
+    available in the file. (if running serially the worker count is 1)
 
     You can check the sample file packaged in tempest for the yaml format
  #. Provide tempest with the location of you accounts.yaml file with the
@@ -125,15 +123,3 @@
 is that if a test requires specific roles on accounts these tests can not be
 run. This is because the config options do not give sufficient flexibility to
 describe the roles assigned to a user for running the tests.
-
-You also can use the accounts.yaml file to specify the credentials used for
-testing. This will just allocate them serially so you only need to provide
-a pair of credentials. Do note that all the restrictions associated with
-locking test accounts applies to using the accounts.yaml file this way too,
-except since you can't run in parallel only 2 of each type of credential is
-required to run. However, the limitation on tests which require specific roles
-does not apply here.
-
-The procedure for doing this is very similar to with the locking accounts
-provider just don't set the locking_credentials_provider to true and you
-only should need a single pair of credentials.
diff --git a/etc/tempest.conf.sample b/etc/tempest.conf.sample
index 7c5461b..fae24c4 100644
--- a/etc/tempest.conf.sample
+++ b/etc/tempest.conf.sample
@@ -94,8 +94,12 @@
 #
 
 # Path to the yaml file that contains the list of credentials to use
-# for running tests (string value)
-#test_accounts_file = etc/accounts.yaml
+# for running tests. If used when running in parallel you have to make
+# sure sufficient credentials are provided in the accounts file. For
+# example if no tests with roles are being run it requires at least `2
+# * CONC` distinct accounts configured in  the `test_accounts_file`,
+# with CONC == the number of concurrent test processes. (string value)
+#test_accounts_file = <None>
 
 # Allows test cases to create/destroy tenants and users. This option
 # requires that OpenStack Identity API admin credentials are known. If
@@ -105,14 +109,6 @@
 # Deprecated group/name - [orchestration]/allow_tenant_isolation
 #allow_tenant_isolation = true
 
-# If set to True it enables the Accounts provider, which locks
-# credentials to allow for parallel execution with pre-provisioned
-# accounts. It can only be used to run tests that ensure credentials
-# cleanup happens. It requires at least `2 * CONC` distinct accounts
-# configured in `test_accounts_file`, with CONC == the number of
-# concurrent test processes. (boolean value)
-#locking_credentials_provider = false
-
 # Roles to assign to all users created by tempest (list value)
 #tempest_roles =
 
diff --git a/tempest/common/accounts.py b/tempest/common/accounts.py
index 8e9a018..fc8e6a5 100644
--- a/tempest/common/accounts.py
+++ b/tempest/common/accounts.py
@@ -261,18 +261,14 @@
 
     def _unique_creds(self, cred_arg=None):
         """Verify that the configured credentials are valid and distinct """
-        if self.use_default_creds:
-            try:
-                user = self.get_primary_creds()
-                alt_user = self.get_alt_creds()
-                return getattr(user, cred_arg) != getattr(alt_user, cred_arg)
-            except exceptions.InvalidCredentials as ic:
-                msg = "At least one of the configured credentials is " \
-                      "not valid: %s" % ic.message
-                raise exceptions.InvalidConfiguration(msg)
-        else:
-            # TODO(andreaf) Add a uniqueness check here
-            return len(self.hash_dict['creds']) > 1
+        try:
+            user = self.get_primary_creds()
+            alt_user = self.get_alt_creds()
+            return getattr(user, cred_arg) != getattr(alt_user, cred_arg)
+        except exceptions.InvalidCredentials as ic:
+            msg = "At least one of the configured credentials is " \
+                  "not valid: %s" % ic.message
+            raise exceptions.InvalidConfiguration(msg)
 
     def is_multi_user(self):
         return self._unique_creds('username')
@@ -280,42 +276,20 @@
     def is_multi_tenant(self):
         return self._unique_creds('tenant_id')
 
-    def get_creds(self, id, roles=None):
-        try:
-            hashes = self._get_match_hash_list(roles)
-            # No need to sort the dict as within the same python process
-            # the HASH seed won't change, so subsequent calls to keys()
-            # will return the same result
-            _hash = hashes[id]
-        except IndexError:
-            msg = 'Insufficient number of users provided'
-            raise exceptions.InvalidConfiguration(msg)
-        return self.hash_dict['creds'][_hash]
-
     def get_primary_creds(self):
         if self.isolated_creds.get('primary'):
             return self.isolated_creds.get('primary')
-        if not self.use_default_creds:
-            creds = self.get_creds(0)
-            primary_credential = cred_provider.get_credentials(
-                identity_version=self.identity_version, **creds)
-        else:
-            primary_credential = cred_provider.get_configured_credentials(
-                credential_type='user', identity_version=self.identity_version)
+        primary_credential = cred_provider.get_configured_credentials(
+            credential_type='user', identity_version=self.identity_version)
         self.isolated_creds['primary'] = primary_credential
         return primary_credential
 
     def get_alt_creds(self):
         if self.isolated_creds.get('alt'):
             return self.isolated_creds.get('alt')
-        if not self.use_default_creds:
-            creds = self.get_creds(1)
-            alt_credential = cred_provider.get_credentials(
-                identity_version=self.identity_version, **creds)
-        else:
-            alt_credential = cred_provider.get_configured_credentials(
-                credential_type='alt_user',
-                identity_version=self.identity_version)
+        alt_credential = cred_provider.get_configured_credentials(
+            credential_type='alt_user',
+            identity_version=self.identity_version)
         self.isolated_creds['alt'] = alt_credential
         return alt_credential
 
@@ -323,35 +297,14 @@
         self.isolated_creds = {}
 
     def get_admin_creds(self):
-        if not self.use_default_creds:
-            return self.get_creds_by_roles([CONF.identity.admin_role])
-        else:
-            creds = cred_provider.get_configured_credentials(
-                "identity_admin", fill_in=False)
-            self.isolated_creds['admin'] = creds
-            return creds
+        creds = cred_provider.get_configured_credentials(
+            "identity_admin", fill_in=False)
+        self.isolated_creds['admin'] = creds
+        return creds
 
     def get_creds_by_roles(self, roles, force_new=False):
-        roles = list(set(roles))
-        exist_creds = self.isolated_creds.get(str(roles), None)
-        index = 0
-        if exist_creds and not force_new:
-            return exist_creds
-        elif exist_creds and force_new:
-            new_index = str(roles) + '-' + str(len(self.isolated_creds))
-            self.isolated_creds[new_index] = exist_creds
-            # Figure out how many existing creds for this roles set are present
-            # use this as the index the returning hash list to ensure separate
-            # creds are returned with force_new being True
-            for creds_names in self.isolated_creds:
-                if str(roles) in creds_names:
-                    index = index + 1
-        if not self.use_default_creds:
-            creds = self.get_creds(index, roles=roles)
-            role_credential = cred_provider.get_credentials(**creds)
-            self.isolated_creds[str(roles)] = role_credential
-        else:
-            msg = "Default credentials can not be used with specifying "\
-                  "credentials by roles"
-            raise exceptions.InvalidConfiguration(msg)
-        return role_credential
+        msg = "Credentials being specified through the config file can not be"\
+              " used with tests that specify using credentials by roles. "\
+              "Either exclude/skip the tests doing this or use either an "\
+              "test_accounts_file or tenant isolation."
+        raise exceptions.InvalidConfiguration(msg)
diff --git a/tempest/common/credentials.py b/tempest/common/credentials.py
index 1ca0128..f3ddab9 100644
--- a/tempest/common/credentials.py
+++ b/tempest/common/credentials.py
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
             network_resources=network_resources,
             identity_version=identity_version)
     else:
-        if CONF.auth.locking_credentials_provider:
+        if os.path.isfile(CONF.auth.test_accounts_file):
             # Most params are not relevant for pre-created accounts
             return accounts.Accounts(name=name,
                                      identity_version=identity_version)
diff --git a/tempest/config.py b/tempest/config.py
index 78952f1..9577f2d 100644
--- a/tempest/config.py
+++ b/tempest/config.py
@@ -35,9 +35,14 @@
 
 AuthGroup = [
     cfg.StrOpt('test_accounts_file',
-               default='etc/accounts.yaml',
                help="Path to the yaml file that contains the list of "
-                    "credentials to use for running tests"),
+                    "credentials to use for running tests. If used when "
+                    "running in parallel you have to make sure sufficient "
+                    "credentials are provided in the accounts file. For "
+                    "example if no tests with roles are being run it requires "
+                    "at least `2 * CONC` distinct accounts configured in "
+                    " the `test_accounts_file`, with CONC == the "
+                    "number of concurrent test processes."),
     cfg.BoolOpt('allow_tenant_isolation',
                 default=True,
                 help="Allows test cases to create/destroy tenants and "
@@ -49,15 +54,6 @@
                                                    group='compute'),
                                  cfg.DeprecatedOpt('allow_tenant_isolation',
                                                    group='orchestration')]),
-    cfg.BoolOpt('locking_credentials_provider',
-                default=False,
-                help="If set to True it enables the Accounts provider, "
-                     "which locks credentials to allow for parallel execution "
-                     "with pre-provisioned accounts. It can only be used to "
-                     "run tests that ensure credentials cleanup happens. "
-                     "It requires at least `2 * CONC` distinct accounts "
-                     "configured in `test_accounts_file`, with CONC == the "
-                     "number of concurrent test processes."),
     cfg.ListOpt('tempest_roles',
                 help="Roles to assign to all users created by tempest",
                 default=[]),
diff --git a/tempest/tests/common/test_accounts.py b/tempest/tests/common/test_accounts.py
index 2a98a06..0f8fa92 100644
--- a/tempest/tests/common/test_accounts.py
+++ b/tempest/tests/common/test_accounts.py
@@ -297,12 +297,8 @@
         cfg.CONF.set_default('test_accounts_file', '', group='auth')
         self.useFixture(mockpatch.Patch('os.path.isfile', return_value=True))
 
-    def test_get_creds(self):
+    def test_get_creds_roles_nonlocking_invalid(self):
         test_accounts_class = accounts.NotLockingAccounts('v2', 'test_name')
-        for i in xrange(len(self.test_accounts)):
-            creds = test_accounts_class.get_creds(i)
-            msg = "Empty credentials returned for ID %s" % str(i)
-            self.assertIsNotNone(creds, msg)
         self.assertRaises(exceptions.InvalidConfiguration,
-                          test_accounts_class.get_creds,
-                          id=len(self.test_accounts))
+                          test_accounts_class.get_creds_by_roles,
+                          ['fake_role'])