struct inode *alloc_inode,
                                   struct buffer_head *bh,
                                   u64 max_block,
+                                  u64 *last_alloc_group,
                                   int flags);
 
 static int ocfs2_cluster_group_search(struct inode *inode,
                                   struct inode *alloc_inode,
                                   struct buffer_head *bh,
                                   u64 max_block,
+                                  u64 *last_alloc_group,
                                   int flags)
 {
        int status, credits;
                goto bail;
        }
 
+       if (last_alloc_group && *last_alloc_group != 0) {
+               mlog(0, "use old allocation group %llu for block group alloc\n",
+                    (unsigned long long)*last_alloc_group);
+               ac->ac_last_group = *last_alloc_group;
+       }
        status = ocfs2_claim_clusters(osb,
                                      handle,
                                      ac,
        alloc_inode->i_blocks = ocfs2_inode_sector_count(alloc_inode);
 
        status = 0;
+
+       /* save the new last alloc group so that the caller can cache it. */
+       if (last_alloc_group)
+               *last_alloc_group = ac->ac_last_group;
+
 bail:
        if (handle)
                ocfs2_commit_trans(osb, handle);
                                       struct ocfs2_alloc_context *ac,
                                       int type,
                                       u32 slot,
+                                      u64 *last_alloc_group,
                                       int flags)
 {
        int status;
                }
 
                status = ocfs2_block_group_alloc(osb, alloc_inode, bh,
-                                                ac->ac_max_block, flags);
+                                                ac->ac_max_block,
+                                                last_alloc_group, flags);
                if (status < 0) {
                        if (status != -ENOSPC)
                                mlog_errno(status);
 
        status = ocfs2_reserve_suballoc_bits(osb, (*ac),
                                             EXTENT_ALLOC_SYSTEM_INODE,
-                                            slot, ALLOC_NEW_GROUP);
+                                            slot, NULL, ALLOC_NEW_GROUP);
        if (status < 0) {
                if (status != -ENOSPC)
                        mlog_errno(status);
 
                status = ocfs2_reserve_suballoc_bits(osb, ac,
                                                     INODE_ALLOC_SYSTEM_INODE,
-                                                    slot, NOT_ALLOC_NEW_GROUP);
+                                                    slot, NULL,
+                                                    NOT_ALLOC_NEW_GROUP);
                if (status >= 0) {
                        ocfs2_set_inode_steal_slot(osb, slot);
                        break;
 {
        int status;
        s16 slot = ocfs2_get_inode_steal_slot(osb);
+       u64 alloc_group;
 
        *ac = kzalloc(sizeof(struct ocfs2_alloc_context), GFP_KERNEL);
        if (!(*ac)) {
                goto inode_steal;
 
        atomic_set(&osb->s_num_inodes_stolen, 0);
+       alloc_group = osb->osb_inode_alloc_group;
        status = ocfs2_reserve_suballoc_bits(osb, *ac,
                                             INODE_ALLOC_SYSTEM_INODE,
                                             osb->slot_num,
+                                            &alloc_group,
                                             ALLOC_NEW_GROUP |
                                             ALLOC_GROUPS_FROM_GLOBAL);
        if (status >= 0) {
                status = 0;
 
+               spin_lock(&osb->osb_lock);
+               osb->osb_inode_alloc_group = alloc_group;
+               spin_unlock(&osb->osb_lock);
+               mlog(0, "after reservation, new allocation group is "
+                    "%llu\n", (unsigned long long)alloc_group);
+
                /*
                 * Some inodes must be freed by us, so try to allocate
                 * from our own next time.
 
        status = ocfs2_reserve_suballoc_bits(osb, ac,
                                             GLOBAL_BITMAP_SYSTEM_INODE,
-                                            OCFS2_INVALID_SLOT,
+                                            OCFS2_INVALID_SLOT, NULL,
                                             ALLOC_NEW_GROUP);
        if (status < 0 && status != -ENOSPC) {
                mlog_errno(status);