diff --git a/drivers/virtio/virtio_ring.c b/drivers/virtio/virtio_ring.c
index 1ca8890..0f684b4 100644
--- a/drivers/virtio/virtio_ring.c
+++ b/drivers/virtio/virtio_ring.c
@@ -223,8 +223,8 @@ add_head:
 
 	/* Put entry in available array (but don't update avail->idx until they
 	 * do sync).  FIXME: avoid modulus here? */
-	avail = (vq->vring.avail->idx + vq->num_added++) % vq->vring.num;
-	vq->vring.avail->ring[avail] = head;
+	avail = (*vq->vring.avail_idx + vq->num_added++) % vq->vring.num;
+	vq->vring.avail_ring[avail] = head;
 
 	pr_debug("Added buffer head %i to %p\n", head, vq);
 	END_USE(vq);
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ void virtqueue_kick(struct virtqueue *_vq)
 	 * new available array entries. */
 	virtio_wmb();
 
-	vq->vring.avail->idx += vq->num_added;
+	*vq->vring.avail_idx += vq->num_added;
 	vq->num_added = 0;
 
 	/* Need to update avail index before checking if we should notify */
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ void virtqueue_disable_cb(struct virtqueue *_vq)
 {
 	struct vring_virtqueue *vq = to_vvq(_vq);
 
-	vq->vring.avail->flags |= VRING_AVAIL_F_NO_INTERRUPT;
+	*vq->vring.avail_flags |= VRING_AVAIL_F_NO_INTERRUPT;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(virtqueue_disable_cb);
 
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ bool virtqueue_enable_cb(struct virtqueue *_vq)
 
 	/* We optimistically turn back on interrupts, then check if there was
 	 * more to do. */
-	vq->vring.avail->flags &= ~VRING_AVAIL_F_NO_INTERRUPT;
+	vq->vring.avail_flags &= ~VRING_AVAIL_F_NO_INTERRUPT;
 	virtio_mb();
 	if (unlikely(more_used(vq))) {
 		END_USE(vq);
@@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ struct virtqueue *vring_new_virtqueue(unsigned int num,
 	if (!vq)
 		return NULL;
 
-	vring_init(&vq->vring, num, pages, vring_align);
+	vring_init(&vq->vring, num, pages, vring_align, false);
 	vq->vq.callback = callback;
 	vq->vq.vdev = vdev;
 	vq->vq.name = name;
diff --git a/include/linux/virtio_ring.h b/include/linux/virtio_ring.h
index e4d144b..458ce41 100644
--- a/include/linux/virtio_ring.h
+++ b/include/linux/virtio_ring.h
@@ -47,6 +47,12 @@ struct vring_avail {
 	__u16 ring[];
 };
 
+struct vring_avail_ctrl {
+	__u16 idx;
+	__u8 pad[254];
+	__u16 flags;
+};
+
 /* u32 is used here for ids for padding reasons. */
 struct vring_used_elem {
 	/* Index of start of used descriptor chain. */
@@ -66,7 +72,9 @@ struct vring {
 
 	struct vring_desc *desc;
 
-	struct vring_avail *avail;
+	__u16 *avail_idx;
+	__u16 *avail_flags;
+	__u16 *avail_ring;
 
 	struct vring_used *used;
 };
@@ -79,11 +87,19 @@ struct vring {
  *	// The actual descriptors (16 bytes each)
  *	struct vring_desc desc[num];
  *
- *	// A ring of available descriptor heads with free-running index.
+ *	// A ring of available descriptor heads with a control structure
+ *      // including a free-running index.
+ *      // The ring can come either after  (legacy) or before the control.
  *	__u16 avail_flags;
  *	__u16 avail_idx;
  *	__u16 available[num];
  *
+ * or
+ *
+ *	__u16 available[num];
+ *	__u16 avail_idx;
+ *	__u8 pad[254]; // Padding to align flags at cache line boundary.
+ *	__u16 avail_flags;
  *	// Padding to the next align boundary.
  *	char pad[];
  *
@@ -94,13 +110,25 @@ struct vring {
  * };
  */
 static inline void vring_init(struct vring *vr, unsigned int num, void *p,
-			      unsigned long align)
+			      unsigned long align, bool avail_ring_first)
 {
+	struct vring_avail *avail = p + num * sizeof(struct vring_desc);
 	vr->num = num;
 	vr->desc = p;
-	vr->avail = p + num*sizeof(struct vring_desc);
-	vr->used = (void *)(((unsigned long)&vr->avail->ring[num] + align-1)
-			    & ~(align - 1));
+	if (avail_ring_first) {
+		struct vring_avail_ctrl *ctrl = (void *)&vr->avail_ring[num];
+		vr->avail_ring = (void*)avail;
+		vr->avail_idx = &ctrl->idx;
+		vr->avail_flags = &ctrl->flags;
+	} else {
+		vr->avail_idx = &avail->idx;
+		vr->avail_flags = &avail->flags;
+	}
+	vr->used = (void *)ALIGN((unsigned long)&avail->ring[num], align);
+	/* Verify that avail fits before used. */
+	BUG_ON((unsigned long)(vr->avail_flags + 1) > (unsigned long)vr->used);
+	BUG_ON((unsigned long)(vr->avail_idx + 1) > (unsigned long)vr->used);
+	BUG_ON((unsigned long)(&vr->avail_ring[num]) > (unsigned long)vr->used);
 }
 
 static inline unsigned vring_size(unsigned int num, unsigned long align)
