diff --git a/include/linux/mempolicy.h b/include/linux/mempolicy.h
index bbd2221923c..6a7621b2b12 100644
--- a/include/linux/mempolicy.h
+++ b/include/linux/mempolicy.h
@@ -147,6 +147,7 @@ extern void mpol_rebind_policy(struct mempolicy *pol, const nodemask_t *new);
 extern void mpol_rebind_task(struct task_struct *tsk,
 					const nodemask_t *new);
 extern void mpol_rebind_mm(struct mm_struct *mm, nodemask_t *new);
+extern void mpol_fix_fork_child_flag(struct task_struct *p);
 #define set_cpuset_being_rebound(x) (cpuset_being_rebound = (x))
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_CPUSET
@@ -248,6 +249,10 @@ static inline void mpol_rebind_mm(struct mm_struct *mm, nodemask_t *new)
 {
 }
 
+static inline void mpol_fix_fork_child_flag(struct task_struct *p)
+{
+}
+
 #define set_cpuset_being_rebound(x) do {} while (0)
 
 static inline struct zonelist *huge_zonelist(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
diff --git a/include/linux/sched.h b/include/linux/sched.h
index b0e37cfa09f..2cda439ece4 100644
--- a/include/linux/sched.h
+++ b/include/linux/sched.h
@@ -932,6 +932,7 @@ static inline void put_task_struct(struct task_struct *t)
 #define PF_SWAPWRITE	0x01000000	/* Allowed to write to swap */
 #define PF_SPREAD_PAGE	0x04000000	/* Spread page cache over cpuset */
 #define PF_SPREAD_SLAB	0x08000000	/* Spread some slab caches over cpuset */
+#define PF_MEMPOLICY	0x10000000	/* Non-default NUMA mempolicy */
 
 /*
  * Only the _current_ task can read/write to tsk->flags, but other
diff --git a/kernel/fork.c b/kernel/fork.c
index c21bae8c93b..a02063903aa 100644
--- a/kernel/fork.c
+++ b/kernel/fork.c
@@ -1021,6 +1021,7 @@ static task_t *copy_process(unsigned long clone_flags,
  		p->mempolicy = NULL;
  		goto bad_fork_cleanup_cpuset;
  	}
+	mpol_fix_fork_child_flag(p);
 #endif
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_MUTEXES
diff --git a/mm/mempolicy.c b/mm/mempolicy.c
index e93cc740c22..4f71cfd29c6 100644
--- a/mm/mempolicy.c
+++ b/mm/mempolicy.c
@@ -422,6 +422,37 @@ static int contextualize_policy(int mode, nodemask_t *nodes)
 	return mpol_check_policy(mode, nodes);
 }
 
+
+/*
+ * Update task->flags PF_MEMPOLICY bit: set iff non-default
+ * mempolicy.  Allows more rapid checking of this (combined perhaps
+ * with other PF_* flag bits) on memory allocation hot code paths.
+ *
+ * If called from outside this file, the task 'p' should -only- be
+ * a newly forked child not yet visible on the task list, because
+ * manipulating the task flags of a visible task is not safe.
+ *
+ * The above limitation is why this routine has the funny name
+ * mpol_fix_fork_child_flag().
+ *
+ * It is also safe to call this with a task pointer of current,
+ * which the static wrapper mpol_set_task_struct_flag() does,
+ * for use within this file.
+ */
+
+void mpol_fix_fork_child_flag(struct task_struct *p)
+{
+	if (p->mempolicy)
+		p->flags |= PF_MEMPOLICY;
+	else
+		p->flags &= ~PF_MEMPOLICY;
+}
+
+static void mpol_set_task_struct_flag(void)
+{
+	mpol_fix_fork_child_flag(current);
+}
+
 /* Set the process memory policy */
 long do_set_mempolicy(int mode, nodemask_t *nodes)
 {
@@ -434,6 +465,7 @@ long do_set_mempolicy(int mode, nodemask_t *nodes)
 		return PTR_ERR(new);
 	mpol_free(current->mempolicy);
 	current->mempolicy = new;
+	mpol_set_task_struct_flag();
 	if (new && new->policy == MPOL_INTERLEAVE)
 		current->il_next = first_node(new->v.nodes);
 	return 0;
diff --git a/mm/slab.c b/mm/slab.c
index de516658d3d..f80b52388a1 100644
--- a/mm/slab.c
+++ b/mm/slab.c
@@ -899,6 +899,7 @@ static struct array_cache *alloc_arraycache(int node, int entries,
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_NUMA
 static void *__cache_alloc_node(struct kmem_cache *, gfp_t, int);
+static void *alternate_node_alloc(struct kmem_cache *, gfp_t);
 
 static struct array_cache **alloc_alien_cache(int node, int limit)
 {
@@ -2808,19 +2809,11 @@ static inline void *____cache_alloc(struct kmem_cache *cachep, gfp_t flags)
 	struct array_cache *ac;
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_NUMA
-	if (unlikely(current->mempolicy && !in_interrupt())) {
-		int nid = slab_node(current->mempolicy);
-
-		if (nid != numa_node_id())
-			return __cache_alloc_node(cachep, flags, nid);
-	}
-	if (unlikely(cpuset_do_slab_mem_spread() &&
-					(cachep->flags & SLAB_MEM_SPREAD) &&
-					!in_interrupt())) {
-		int nid = cpuset_mem_spread_node();
-
-		if (nid != numa_node_id())
-			return __cache_alloc_node(cachep, flags, nid);
+	if (unlikely(current->flags & (PF_SPREAD_PAGE | PF_SPREAD_SLAB |
+							PF_MEMPOLICY))) {
+		objp = alternate_node_alloc(cachep, flags);
+		if (objp != NULL)
+			return objp;
 	}
 #endif
 
@@ -2855,6 +2848,28 @@ static __always_inline void *__cache_alloc(struct kmem_cache *cachep,
 }
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_NUMA
+/*
+ * Try allocating on another node if PF_SPREAD_PAGE|PF_SPREAD_SLAB|PF_MEMPOLICY.
+ *
+ * If we are in_interrupt, then process context, including cpusets and
+ * mempolicy, may not apply and should not be used for allocation policy.
+ */
+static void *alternate_node_alloc(struct kmem_cache *cachep, gfp_t flags)
+{
+	int nid_alloc, nid_here;
+
+	if (in_interrupt())
+		return NULL;
+	nid_alloc = nid_here = numa_node_id();
+	if (cpuset_do_slab_mem_spread() && (cachep->flags & SLAB_MEM_SPREAD))
+		nid_alloc = cpuset_mem_spread_node();
+	else if (current->mempolicy)
+		nid_alloc = slab_node(current->mempolicy);
+	if (nid_alloc != nid_here)
+		return __cache_alloc_node(cachep, flags, nid_alloc);
+	return NULL;
+}
+
 /*
  * A interface to enable slab creation on nodeid
  */