diff --git a/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/versionlock.list b/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/versionlock.list
index 43dccfccc46e798c8f2b7ce1ee77a1fc7334bb15..323555ecd9f8760a6ffb0d87df42a2001f31fb58 100644
--- a/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/versionlock.list
+++ b/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/etc/yum/pluginconf.d/versionlock.list
@@ -17,20 +17,21 @@
 0:eos-xrootd-debuginfo-4.12.8-1.el7.cern.*
 #### EOS-4-END ####
 #### EOS-5-START ####
-#0:eos-archive-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-cleanup-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-client-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-fuse-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-fuse-core-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-fuse-sysv-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-fusex-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-fusex-core-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-fusex-selinux-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-ns-inspect-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-server-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-srm-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-test-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
-#0:eos-testkeytab-5.0.23-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-archive-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-cleanup-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-client-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-fuse-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-fuse-core-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-fuse-sysv-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-fusex-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-fusex-core-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-fusex-selinux-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-ns-inspect-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-server-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-srm-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-test-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-testkeytab-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
+#0:eos-quarkdb-5.0.25-1.el7.cern.x86_64.rpm
 #0:eos-xrootd-5.4.4-1.el7.cern.*
 #0:eos-xrootd-debuginfo-5.4.4-1.el7.cern.*
 #### EOS-5-END ####
diff --git a/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/opt/run/bin/start_quarkdb.sh b/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/opt/run/bin/start_quarkdb.sh
index 25ff5a480c38cae12f4955f232db15e9ed541ded..1f6f21436ac60ec5bb0b0df9ef74617c1b8988c8 100755
--- a/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/opt/run/bin/start_quarkdb.sh
+++ b/continuousintegration/docker/ctafrontend/cc7/opt/run/bin/start_quarkdb.sh
@@ -52,6 +52,17 @@ chown xrootd:xrootd /etc/eos.keytab.xrootd
 
 if [ "-${CI_CONTEXT}-" == '-systemd-' ]; then
 
+# using xrootd server start script with eos-xrootd override...
+# we really need quarkdb start scripts...
+mkdir -p /etc/systemd/system/xrootd\@quarkdb.service.d
+cat <<EOF > /etc/systemd/system/xrootd\@quarkdb.service.d/custom.conf
+[Service]
+ExecStart=
+ExecStart=/opt/eos/xrootd/bin/xrootd -l /var/log/xrootd/xrootd.log -c /etc/xrootd/xrootd-%i.cfg -k fifo -s /var/run/xrootd/xrootd-%i.pid -n %i
+EOF
+  # apply this custom override
+  systemctl daemon-reload
+
   systemctl start xrootd@quarkdb
 
   systemctl status xrootd@quarkdb