diff --git a/drivers/md/dm-region-hash.c b/drivers/md/dm-region-hash.c
--- a/drivers/md/dm-region-hash.c
+++ b/drivers/md/dm-region-hash.c
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ static struct dm_region *__rh_alloc(struct dm_region_hash *rh, region_t region)
 
 	nreg = mempool_alloc(rh->region_pool, GFP_ATOMIC);
 	if (unlikely(!nreg))
-		nreg = kmalloc(sizeof(*nreg), GFP_NOIO | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+		nreg = kmalloc_nofail(sizeof(*nreg), GFP_NOIO);
 
 	nreg->state = rh->log->type->in_sync(rh->log, region, 1) ?
 		      DM_RH_CLEAN : DM_RH_NOSYNC;
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/inode.c b/fs/btrfs/inode.c
--- a/fs/btrfs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/inode.c
@@ -1967,7 +1967,7 @@ void btrfs_add_delayed_iput(struct inode *inode)
 	if (atomic_add_unless(&inode->i_count, -1, 1))
 		return;
 
-	delayed = kmalloc(sizeof(*delayed), GFP_NOFS | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+	delayed = kmalloc_nofail(sizeof(*delayed), GFP_NOFS);
 	delayed->inode = inode;
 
 	spin_lock(&fs_info->delayed_iput_lock);
diff --git a/fs/gfs2/log.c b/fs/gfs2/log.c
--- a/fs/gfs2/log.c
+++ b/fs/gfs2/log.c
@@ -709,7 +709,7 @@ void gfs2_log_flush(struct gfs2_sbd *sdp, struct gfs2_glock *gl)
 	}
 	trace_gfs2_log_flush(sdp, 1);
 
-	ai = kzalloc(sizeof(struct gfs2_ail), GFP_NOFS | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+	ai = kzalloc_nofail(sizeof(struct gfs2_ail), GFP_NOFS);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ai->ai_ail1_list);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ai->ai_ail2_list);
 
diff --git a/fs/gfs2/rgrp.c b/fs/gfs2/rgrp.c
--- a/fs/gfs2/rgrp.c
+++ b/fs/gfs2/rgrp.c
@@ -1440,8 +1440,8 @@ static struct gfs2_rgrpd *rgblk_free(struct gfs2_sbd *sdp, u64 bstart,
 		rgrp_blk++;
 
 		if (!bi->bi_clone) {
-			bi->bi_clone = kmalloc(bi->bi_bh->b_size,
-					       GFP_NOFS | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+			bi->bi_clone = kmalloc_nofail(bi->bi_bh->b_size,
+					       GFP_NOFS);
 			memcpy(bi->bi_clone + bi->bi_offset,
 			       bi->bi_bh->b_data + bi->bi_offset,
 			       bi->bi_len);
@@ -1759,9 +1759,6 @@ fail:
  * @block: the block
  *
  * Figure out what RG a block belongs to and add that RG to the list
- *
- * FIXME: Don't use NOFAIL
- *
  */
 
 void gfs2_rlist_add(struct gfs2_sbd *sdp, struct gfs2_rgrp_list *rlist,
@@ -1789,8 +1786,8 @@ void gfs2_rlist_add(struct gfs2_sbd *sdp, struct gfs2_rgrp_list *rlist,
 	if (rlist->rl_rgrps == rlist->rl_space) {
 		new_space = rlist->rl_space + 10;
 
-		tmp = kcalloc(new_space, sizeof(struct gfs2_rgrpd *),
-			      GFP_NOFS | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+		tmp = kcalloc_nofail(new_space, sizeof(struct gfs2_rgrpd *),
+			      GFP_NOFS);
 
 		if (rlist->rl_rgd) {
 			memcpy(tmp, rlist->rl_rgd,
@@ -1811,17 +1808,14 @@ void gfs2_rlist_add(struct gfs2_sbd *sdp, struct gfs2_rgrp_list *rlist,
  * @rlist: the list of resource groups
  * @state: the lock state to acquire the RG lock in
  * @flags: the modifier flags for the holder structures
- *
- * FIXME: Don't use NOFAIL
- *
  */
 
 void gfs2_rlist_alloc(struct gfs2_rgrp_list *rlist, unsigned int state)
 {
 	unsigned int x;
 
-	rlist->rl_ghs = kcalloc(rlist->rl_rgrps, sizeof(struct gfs2_holder),
-				GFP_NOFS | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+	rlist->rl_ghs = kcalloc_nofail(rlist->rl_rgrps,
+				sizeof(struct gfs2_holder), GFP_NOFS);
 	for (x = 0; x < rlist->rl_rgrps; x++)
 		gfs2_holder_init(rlist->rl_rgd[x]->rd_gl,
 				state, 0,
diff --git a/fs/jbd/transaction.c b/fs/jbd/transaction.c
--- a/fs/jbd/transaction.c
+++ b/fs/jbd/transaction.c
@@ -98,14 +98,9 @@ static int start_this_handle(journal_t *journal, handle_t *handle)
 	}
 
 alloc_transaction:
-	if (!journal->j_running_transaction) {
-		new_transaction = kzalloc(sizeof(*new_transaction),
-						GFP_NOFS|__GFP_NOFAIL);
-		if (!new_transaction) {
-			ret = -ENOMEM;
-			goto out;
-		}
-	}
+	if (!journal->j_running_transaction)
+		new_transaction = kzalloc_nofail(sizeof(*new_transaction),
+						GFP_NOFS);
 
 	jbd_debug(3, "New handle %p going live.\n", handle);
 
diff --git a/fs/reiserfs/journal.c b/fs/reiserfs/journal.c
--- a/fs/reiserfs/journal.c
+++ b/fs/reiserfs/journal.c
@@ -2593,8 +2593,7 @@ static int journal_read(struct super_block *sb)
 static struct reiserfs_journal_list *alloc_journal_list(struct super_block *s)
 {
 	struct reiserfs_journal_list *jl;
-	jl = kzalloc(sizeof(struct reiserfs_journal_list),
-		     GFP_NOFS | __GFP_NOFAIL);
+	jl = kzalloc_nofail(sizeof(struct reiserfs_journal_list), GFP_NOFS);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&jl->j_list);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&jl->j_working_list);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&jl->j_tail_bh_list);
diff --git a/include/linux/slab.h b/include/linux/slab.h
--- a/include/linux/slab.h
+++ b/include/linux/slab.h
@@ -334,6 +334,57 @@ static inline void *kzalloc_node(size_t size, gfp_t flags, int node)
 	return kmalloc_node(size, flags | __GFP_ZERO, node);
 }
 
+/**
+ * kmalloc_nofail - infinitely loop until kmalloc() succeeds.
+ * @size: how many bytes of memory are required.
+ * @flags: the type of memory to allocate (see kmalloc).
+ *
+ * NOTE: no new callers of this function should be implemented!
+ * All memory allocations should be failable whenever possible.
+ */
+static inline void *kmalloc_nofail(size_t size, gfp_t flags)
+{
+	void *ret;
+
+	for (;;) {
+		ret = kmalloc(size, flags);
+		if (ret)
+			return ret;
+		WARN_ON_ONCE(get_order(size) > PAGE_ALLOC_COSTLY_ORDER);
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * kcalloc_nofail - infinitely loop until kcalloc() succeeds.
+ * @n: number of elements.
+ * @size: element size.
+ * @flags: the type of memory to allocate (see kcalloc).
+ *
+ * NOTE: no new callers of this function should be implemented!
+ * All memory allocations should be failable whenever possible.
+ */
+static inline void *kcalloc_nofail(size_t n, size_t size, gfp_t flags)
+{
+	void *ret;
+
+	for (;;) {
+		ret = kcalloc(n, size, flags);
+		if (ret)
+			return ret;
+		WARN_ON_ONCE(get_order(size) > PAGE_ALLOC_COSTLY_ORDER);
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * kzalloc_nofail - infinitely loop until kzalloc() succeeds.
+ * @size: how many bytes of memory are required.
+ * @flags: the type of memory to allocate (see kzalloc).
+ */
+static inline void *kzalloc_nofail(size_t size, gfp_t flags)
+{
+	return kmalloc_nofail(size, flags | __GFP_ZERO);
+}
+
 void __init kmem_cache_init_late(void);
 
 #endif	/* _LINUX_SLAB_H */
