diff --git a/azure-pipelines.yml b/azure-pipelines.yml
index 8a2971a5..f5f9c96b 100644
--- a/azure-pipelines.yml
+++ b/azure-pipelines.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ pool:
   # self-hosted agent on Windows 10 1709 environment
   # includes newer Docker engine with LCOW enabled, new build of LCOW image
   # includes Ruby 2.5, Go 1.10, Node.js 10.10, hadolint
-  name: Default
+  name: Internal LCOW
 
 variables:
   COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME: pupperware
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index ec0f38b0..7faf80dd 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ services:
       - ${VOLUME_ROOT:-.}/volumes/code:/etc/puppetlabs/code/
       - ${VOLUME_ROOT:-.}/volumes/puppet:/etc/puppetlabs/puppet/
       - ${VOLUME_ROOT:-.}/volumes/serverdata:/opt/puppetlabs/server/data/puppetserver/
-    dns_search: '.local'
+    dns_search: local
     networks:
       default:
         aliases:
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ services:
     volumes:
       - ${VOLUME_ROOT:-.}/volumes/puppetdb-postgres/data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
       - ./postgres-custom:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d
-    dns_search: '.local'
+    dns_search: local
     networks:
       default:
         aliases:
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ services:
       - puppet
     volumes:
       - ${VOLUME_ROOT:-.}/volumes/puppetdb/ssl:/etc/puppetlabs/puppet/ssl/
-    dns_search: '.local'
+    dns_search: local
     networks:
       default:
         aliases:
diff --git a/gem/lib/pupperware/spec_helper.rb b/gem/lib/pupperware/spec_helper.rb
index b00baab1..48f1835b 100644
--- a/gem/lib/pupperware/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/gem/lib/pupperware/spec_helper.rb
@@ -137,6 +137,11 @@ def get_container_hostname(container)
     return fqdn || inspect_container(container, '{{.Config.Hostname}}')
   end
 
+  # this only works when a container has a single network
+  def get_container_ip(container)
+    inspect_container(container, '{{range .NetworkSettings.Networks}}{{.IPAddress}}{{end}}')
+  end
+
   def emit_log(container)
     container_name = get_container_name(container)
     STDOUT.puts("#{'*' * 80}\nContainer logs for #{container_name} / #{container}\n#{'*' * 80}\n")
@@ -236,11 +241,13 @@ def clean_certificate(agent_name)
   # Puppet Agent Helpers
   ######################################################################
 
-  def run_agent(agent_name, network, server = get_container_hostname(get_service_container('puppet')))
+  def run_agent(agent_name, network, server = get_container_hostname(get_service_container('puppet')), hosts = {})
     # setting up a Windows TTY is difficult, so we don't
     # allocating a TTY will show container pull output on Linux, but that's not good for tests
     STDOUT.puts("running agent #{agent_name} in network #{network} against #{server}")
-    result = run_command("docker run --rm --network #{network} --name #{agent_name} --hostname #{agent_name} puppet/puppet-agent-alpine agent --verbose --onetime --no-daemonize --summarize --server #{server}")
+    host_map = hosts.map { |k, v| "--add-host=\"#{k}:#{v}\"" }.join(' ')
+    STDOUT.puts("adding hosts #{host_map} to agents /etc/hosts") unless host_map.nil?
+    result = run_command("docker run --rm --network #{network} #{host_map} --name #{agent_name} --hostname #{agent_name} puppet/puppet-agent-alpine agent --verbose --onetime --no-daemonize --summarize --server #{server}")
     return result[:status].exitstatus
   end
 
diff --git a/spec/examples/running_cluster.rb b/spec/examples/running_cluster.rb
index ada64fc3..f5ee23e5 100644
--- a/spec/examples/running_cluster.rb
+++ b/spec/examples/running_cluster.rb
@@ -33,7 +33,11 @@
   end
 
   it 'should be able to run an agent' do
-    status = run_agent(@test_agent, 'pupperware_default')
+    # to workaround DNS resolution problems, add a /etc/hosts entry
+    puppetserver_container = get_service_container('puppet')
+    puppetserver_hostname = get_container_hostname(puppetserver_container)
+    hosts = { puppetserver_hostname => get_container_ip(puppetserver_container) }
+    status = run_agent(@test_agent, 'pupperware_default', puppetserver_hostname, hosts)
     expect(status).to eq(0)
   end