diff --git a/zuul.d/devstack-tobiko-storage.yaml b/zuul.d/devstack-tobiko-storage.yaml
index ea7a95e..1d39c45 100644
--- a/zuul.d/devstack-tobiko-storage.yaml
+++ b/zuul.d/devstack-tobiko-storage.yaml
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@
       devstack_plugins:
         devstack-plugin-ceph:
           https://opendev.org/openstack/devstack-plugin-ceph.git
+      devstack_services:
+        # disable designate to avoid DNS issues when ceph tries to download its
+        # image
+        designate: false
       devstack_localrc:
         ENABLE_CEPH_CINDER: true     # ceph backend for cinder
         ENABLE_CEPH_GLANCE: true     # store images in ceph