diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/proc.txt b/Documentation/filesystems/proc.txt
index 71df353..32e9463 100644
--- a/Documentation/filesystems/proc.txt
+++ b/Documentation/filesystems/proc.txt
@@ -1385,6 +1385,15 @@
 to retain dentry and inode caches.  Increasing vfs_cache_pressure beyond 100
 causes the kernel to prefer to reclaim dentries and inodes.
 
+dirty_background_bytes
+----------------------
+
+Contains the amount of dirty memory at which the pdflush background writeback
+daemon will start writeback.
+
+If dirty_background_bytes is written, dirty_background_ratio becomes a function
+of its value (dirty_background_bytes / the amount of dirtyable system memory).
+
 dirty_background_ratio
 ----------------------
 
@@ -1393,14 +1402,29 @@
 pages at which the pdflush background writeback daemon will start writing out
 dirty data.
 
+If dirty_background_ratio is written, dirty_background_bytes becomes a function
+of its value (dirty_background_ratio * the amount of dirtyable system memory).
+
+dirty_bytes
+-----------
+
+Contains the amount of dirty memory at which a process generating disk writes
+will itself start writeback.
+
+If dirty_bytes is written, dirty_ratio becomes a function of its value
+(dirty_bytes / the amount of dirtyable system memory).
+
 dirty_ratio
------------------
+-----------
 
 Contains, as a percentage of the dirtyable system memory (free pages + mapped
 pages + file cache, not including locked pages and HugePages), the number of
 pages at which a process which is generating disk writes will itself start
 writing out dirty data.
 
+If dirty_ratio is written, dirty_bytes becomes a function of its value
+(dirty_ratio * the amount of dirtyable system memory).
+
 dirty_writeback_centisecs
 -------------------------
 
diff --git a/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt b/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt
index d79eeda..cd05994 100644
--- a/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt
+++ b/Documentation/sysctl/vm.txt
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@
 
 ==============================================================
 
-dirty_ratio, dirty_background_ratio, dirty_expire_centisecs,
+dirty_bytes, dirty_ratio, dirty_background_bytes,
+dirty_background_ratio, dirty_expire_centisecs,
 dirty_writeback_centisecs, highmem_is_dirtyable,
 vfs_cache_pressure, laptop_mode, block_dump, swap_token_timeout,
 drop-caches, hugepages_treat_as_movable:
diff --git a/include/linux/writeback.h b/include/linux/writeback.h
index 259e9ea..bb28c97 100644
--- a/include/linux/writeback.h
+++ b/include/linux/writeback.h
@@ -107,7 +107,9 @@
 
 /* These are exported to sysctl. */
 extern int dirty_background_ratio;
+extern unsigned long dirty_background_bytes;
 extern int vm_dirty_ratio;
+extern unsigned long vm_dirty_bytes;
 extern int dirty_writeback_interval;
 extern int dirty_expire_interval;
 extern int vm_highmem_is_dirtyable;
@@ -116,9 +118,18 @@
 
 extern unsigned long determine_dirtyable_memory(void);
 
+extern int dirty_background_ratio_handler(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
+		struct file *filp, void __user *buffer, size_t *lenp,
+		loff_t *ppos);
+extern int dirty_background_bytes_handler(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
+		struct file *filp, void __user *buffer, size_t *lenp,
+		loff_t *ppos);
 extern int dirty_ratio_handler(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
 		struct file *filp, void __user *buffer, size_t *lenp,
 		loff_t *ppos);
+extern int dirty_bytes_handler(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
+		struct file *filp, void __user *buffer, size_t *lenp,
+		loff_t *ppos);
 
 struct ctl_table;
 struct file;
diff --git a/kernel/sysctl.c b/kernel/sysctl.c
index ff6d45c..92f6e5b 100644
--- a/kernel/sysctl.c
+++ b/kernel/sysctl.c
@@ -87,10 +87,6 @@
 #endif /* #ifdef CONFIG_RCU_TORTURE_TEST */
 
 /* Constants used for minimum and  maximum */
-#if defined(CONFIG_HIGHMEM) || defined(CONFIG_DETECT_SOFTLOCKUP)
-static int one = 1;
-#endif
-
 #ifdef CONFIG_DETECT_SOFTLOCKUP
 static int sixty = 60;
 static int neg_one = -1;
@@ -101,6 +97,7 @@
 #endif
 
 static int zero;
+static int one = 1;
 static int one_hundred = 100;
 
 /* this is needed for the proc_dointvec_minmax for [fs_]overflow UID and GID */
@@ -952,12 +949,22 @@
 		.data		= &dirty_background_ratio,
 		.maxlen		= sizeof(dirty_background_ratio),
 		.mode		= 0644,
-		.proc_handler	= &proc_dointvec_minmax,
+		.proc_handler	= &dirty_background_ratio_handler,
 		.strategy	= &sysctl_intvec,
 		.extra1		= &zero,
 		.extra2		= &one_hundred,
 	},
 	{
+		.ctl_name	= CTL_UNNUMBERED,
+		.procname	= "dirty_background_bytes",
+		.data		= &dirty_background_bytes,
+		.maxlen		= sizeof(dirty_background_bytes),
+		.mode		= 0644,
+		.proc_handler	= &dirty_background_bytes_handler,
+		.strategy	= &sysctl_intvec,
+		.extra1		= &one,
+	},
+	{
 		.ctl_name	= VM_DIRTY_RATIO,
 		.procname	= "dirty_ratio",
 		.data		= &vm_dirty_ratio,
@@ -969,6 +976,16 @@
 		.extra2		= &one_hundred,
 	},
 	{
+		.ctl_name	= CTL_UNNUMBERED,
+		.procname	= "dirty_bytes",
+		.data		= &vm_dirty_bytes,
+		.maxlen		= sizeof(vm_dirty_bytes),
+		.mode		= 0644,
+		.proc_handler	= &dirty_bytes_handler,
+		.strategy	= &sysctl_intvec,
+		.extra1		= &one,
+	},
+	{
 		.procname	= "dirty_writeback_centisecs",
 		.data		= &dirty_writeback_interval,
 		.maxlen		= sizeof(dirty_writeback_interval),
diff --git a/mm/page-writeback.c b/mm/page-writeback.c
index 4d4074c..b493db7 100644
--- a/mm/page-writeback.c
+++ b/mm/page-writeback.c
@@ -69,6 +69,12 @@
 int dirty_background_ratio = 5;
 
 /*
+ * dirty_background_bytes starts at 0 (disabled) so that it is a function of
+ * dirty_background_ratio * the amount of dirtyable memory
+ */
+unsigned long dirty_background_bytes;
+
+/*
  * free highmem will not be subtracted from the total free memory
  * for calculating free ratios if vm_highmem_is_dirtyable is true
  */
@@ -80,6 +86,12 @@
 int vm_dirty_ratio = 10;
 
 /*
+ * vm_dirty_bytes starts at 0 (disabled) so that it is a function of
+ * vm_dirty_ratio * the amount of dirtyable memory
+ */
+unsigned long vm_dirty_bytes;
+
+/*
  * The interval between `kupdate'-style writebacks, in jiffies
  */
 int dirty_writeback_interval = 5 * HZ;
@@ -135,23 +147,75 @@
 {
 	unsigned long dirty_total;
 
-	dirty_total = (vm_dirty_ratio * determine_dirtyable_memory()) / 100;
+	if (vm_dirty_bytes)
+		dirty_total = vm_dirty_bytes / PAGE_SIZE;
+	else
+		dirty_total = (vm_dirty_ratio * determine_dirtyable_memory()) /
+				100;
 	return 2 + ilog2(dirty_total - 1);
 }
 
 /*
- * update the period when the dirty ratio changes.
+ * update the period when the dirty threshold changes.
  */
+static void update_completion_period(void)
+{
+	int shift = calc_period_shift();
+	prop_change_shift(&vm_completions, shift);
+	prop_change_shift(&vm_dirties, shift);
+}
+
+int dirty_background_ratio_handler(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
+		struct file *filp, void __user *buffer, size_t *lenp,
+		loff_t *ppos)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = proc_dointvec_minmax(table, write, filp, buffer, lenp, ppos);
+	if (ret == 0 && write)
+		dirty_background_bytes = 0;
+	return ret;
+}
+
+int dirty_background_bytes_handler(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
+		struct file *filp, void __user *buffer, size_t *lenp,
+		loff_t *ppos)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = proc_doulongvec_minmax(table, write, filp, buffer, lenp, ppos);
+	if (ret == 0 && write)
+		dirty_background_ratio = 0;
+	return ret;
+}
+
 int dirty_ratio_handler(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
 		struct file *filp, void __user *buffer, size_t *lenp,
 		loff_t *ppos)
 {
 	int old_ratio = vm_dirty_ratio;
-	int ret = proc_dointvec_minmax(table, write, filp, buffer, lenp, ppos);
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = proc_dointvec_minmax(table, write, filp, buffer, lenp, ppos);
 	if (ret == 0 && write && vm_dirty_ratio != old_ratio) {
-		int shift = calc_period_shift();
-		prop_change_shift(&vm_completions, shift);
-		prop_change_shift(&vm_dirties, shift);
+		update_completion_period();
+		vm_dirty_bytes = 0;
+	}
+	return ret;
+}
+
+
+int dirty_bytes_handler(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
+		struct file *filp, void __user *buffer, size_t *lenp,
+		loff_t *ppos)
+{
+	int old_bytes = vm_dirty_bytes;
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = proc_doulongvec_minmax(table, write, filp, buffer, lenp, ppos);
+	if (ret == 0 && write && vm_dirty_bytes != old_bytes) {
+		update_completion_period();
+		vm_dirty_ratio = 0;
 	}
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -365,23 +429,29 @@
 get_dirty_limits(unsigned long *pbackground, unsigned long *pdirty,
 		 unsigned long *pbdi_dirty, struct backing_dev_info *bdi)
 {
-	int background_ratio;		/* Percentages */
-	int dirty_ratio;
 	unsigned long background;
 	unsigned long dirty;
 	unsigned long available_memory = determine_dirtyable_memory();
 	struct task_struct *tsk;
 
-	dirty_ratio = vm_dirty_ratio;
-	if (dirty_ratio < 5)
-		dirty_ratio = 5;
+	if (vm_dirty_bytes)
+		dirty = DIV_ROUND_UP(vm_dirty_bytes, PAGE_SIZE);
+	else {
+		int dirty_ratio;
 
-	background_ratio = dirty_background_ratio;
-	if (background_ratio >= dirty_ratio)
-		background_ratio = dirty_ratio / 2;
+		dirty_ratio = vm_dirty_ratio;
+		if (dirty_ratio < 5)
+			dirty_ratio = 5;
+		dirty = (dirty_ratio * available_memory) / 100;
+	}
 
-	background = (background_ratio * available_memory) / 100;
-	dirty = (dirty_ratio * available_memory) / 100;
+	if (dirty_background_bytes)
+		background = DIV_ROUND_UP(dirty_background_bytes, PAGE_SIZE);
+	else
+		background = (dirty_background_ratio * available_memory) / 100;
+
+	if (background >= dirty)
+		background = dirty / 2;
 	tsk = current;
 	if (tsk->flags & PF_LESS_THROTTLE || rt_task(tsk)) {
 		background += background / 4;