diff --git a/samples/bpf/Makefile b/samples/bpf/Makefile
index 744dd7a16144..66897e61232c 100644
--- a/samples/bpf/Makefile
+++ b/samples/bpf/Makefile
@@ -81,10 +81,43 @@ HOSTLOADLIBES_spintest += -lelf
 HOSTLOADLIBES_map_perf_test += -lelf -lrt
 HOSTLOADLIBES_test_overhead += -lelf -lrt
 
+# Allows pointing LLC/CLANG to a LLVM backend with bpf support, redefine on cmdline:
+#  make samples/bpf/ LLC=~/git/llvm/build/bin/llc CLANG=~/git/llvm/build/bin/clang
+LLC ?= llc
+CLANG ?= clang
+
+# Trick to allow make to be run from this directory
+all:
+	$(MAKE) -C ../../ $$PWD/
+
+clean:
+	$(MAKE) -C ../../ M=$$PWD clean
+	@rm -f *~
+
+# Verify LLVM compiler tools are available and bpf target is supported by llc
+.PHONY: verify_cmds verify_target_bpf $(CLANG) $(LLC)
+
+verify_cmds: $(CLANG) $(LLC)
+	@for TOOL in $^ ; do \
+		if ! (which -- "$${TOOL}" > /dev/null 2>&1); then \
+			echo "*** ERROR: Cannot find LLVM tool $${TOOL}" ;\
+			exit 1; \
+		else true; fi; \
+	done
+
+verify_target_bpf: verify_cmds
+	@if ! (${LLC} -march=bpf -mattr=help > /dev/null 2>&1); then \
+		echo "*** ERROR: LLVM (${LLC}) does not support 'bpf' target" ;\
+		echo "   NOTICE: LLVM version >= 3.7.1 required" ;\
+		exit 2; \
+	else true; fi
+
+$(src)/*.c: verify_target_bpf
+
 # asm/sysreg.h - inline assembly used by it is incompatible with llvm.
 # But, there is no easy way to fix it, so just exclude it since it is
 # useless for BPF samples.
 $(obj)/%.o: $(src)/%.c
-	clang $(NOSTDINC_FLAGS) $(LINUXINCLUDE) $(EXTRA_CFLAGS) \
+	$(CLANG) $(NOSTDINC_FLAGS) $(LINUXINCLUDE) $(EXTRA_CFLAGS) \
 		-D__KERNEL__ -D__ASM_SYSREG_H -Wno-unused-value -Wno-pointer-sign \
-		-O2 -emit-llvm -c $< -o -| llc -march=bpf -filetype=obj -o $@
+		-O2 -emit-llvm -c $< -o -| $(LLC) -march=bpf -filetype=obj -o $@
diff --git a/samples/bpf/README.rst b/samples/bpf/README.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a43eae3f0551
--- /dev/null
+++ b/samples/bpf/README.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+eBPF sample programs
+====================
+
+This directory contains a mini eBPF library, test stubs, verifier
+test-suite and examples for using eBPF.
+
+Build dependencies
+==================
+
+Compiling requires having installed:
+ * clang >= version 3.4.0
+ * llvm >= version 3.7.1
+
+Note that LLVM's tool 'llc' must support target 'bpf', list version
+and supported targets with command: ``llc --version``
+
+Kernel headers
+--------------
+
+There are usually dependencies to header files of the current kernel.
+To avoid installing devel kernel headers system wide, as a normal
+user, simply call::
+
+ make headers_install
+
+This will creates a local "usr/include" directory in the git/build top
+level directory, that the make system automatically pickup first.
+
+Compiling
+=========
+
+For building the BPF samples, issue the below command from the kernel
+top level directory::
+
+ make samples/bpf/
+
+Do notice the "/" slash after the directory name.
+
+It is also possible to call make from this directory.  This will just
+hide the the invocation of make as above with the appended "/".
+
+Manually compiling LLVM with 'bpf' support
+------------------------------------------
+
+Since version 3.7.0, LLVM adds a proper LLVM backend target for the
+BPF bytecode architecture.
+
+By default llvm will build all non-experimental backends including bpf.
+To generate a smaller llc binary one can use::
+
+ -DLLVM_TARGETS_TO_BUILD="BPF"
+
+Quick sniplet for manually compiling LLVM and clang
+(build dependencies are cmake and gcc-c++)::
+
+ $ git clone http://llvm.org/git/llvm.git
+ $ cd llvm/tools
+ $ git clone --depth 1 http://llvm.org/git/clang.git
+ $ cd ..; mkdir build; cd build
+ $ cmake .. -DLLVM_TARGETS_TO_BUILD="BPF;X86"
+ $ make -j $(getconf _NPROCESSORS_ONLN)
+
+It is also possible to point make to the newly compiled 'llc' or
+'clang' command via redefining LLC or CLANG on the make command line::
+
+ make samples/bpf/ LLC=~/git/llvm/build/bin/llc CLANG=~/git/llvm/build/bin/clang