diff --git a/fs/ceph/inode.c b/fs/ceph/inode.c
index 22adddb3d051..7b1e93c8a0d2 100644
--- a/fs/ceph/inode.c
+++ b/fs/ceph/inode.c
@@ -2301,6 +2301,57 @@ int __ceph_do_getattr(struct inode *inode, struct page *locked_page,
 	return err;
 }
 
+int ceph_do_getvxattr(struct inode *inode, const char *name, void *value,
+		      size_t size)
+{
+	struct ceph_fs_client *fsc = ceph_sb_to_client(inode->i_sb);
+	struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc = fsc->mdsc;
+	struct ceph_mds_request *req;
+	int mode = USE_AUTH_MDS;
+	int err;
+	char *xattr_value;
+	size_t xattr_value_len;
+
+	req = ceph_mdsc_create_request(mdsc, CEPH_MDS_OP_GETVXATTR, mode);
+	if (IS_ERR(req)) {
+		err = -ENOMEM;
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	req->r_path2 = kstrdup(name, GFP_NOFS);
+	if (!req->r_path2) {
+		err = -ENOMEM;
+		goto put;
+	}
+
+	ihold(inode);
+	req->r_inode = inode;
+	err = ceph_mdsc_do_request(mdsc, NULL, req);
+	if (err < 0)
+		goto put;
+
+	xattr_value = req->r_reply_info.xattr_info.xattr_value;
+	xattr_value_len = req->r_reply_info.xattr_info.xattr_value_len;
+
+	dout("do_getvxattr xattr_value_len:%zu, size:%zu\n", xattr_value_len, size);
+
+	err = (int)xattr_value_len;
+	if (size == 0)
+		goto put;
+
+	if (xattr_value_len > size) {
+		err = -ERANGE;
+		goto put;
+	}
+
+	memcpy(value, xattr_value, xattr_value_len);
+put:
+	ceph_mdsc_put_request(req);
+out:
+	dout("do_getvxattr result=%d\n", err);
+	return err;
+}
+
 
 /*
  * Check inode permissions.  We verify we have a valid value for
diff --git a/fs/ceph/mds_client.c b/fs/ceph/mds_client.c
index f3abbf83ea5b..0b7bde73bf03 100644
--- a/fs/ceph/mds_client.c
+++ b/fs/ceph/mds_client.c
@@ -555,6 +555,28 @@ static int parse_reply_info_create(void **p, void *end,
 	return -EIO;
 }
 
+static int parse_reply_info_getvxattr(void **p, void *end,
+				      struct ceph_mds_reply_info_parsed *info,
+				      u64 features)
+{
+	u32 value_len;
+
+	ceph_decode_skip_8(p, end, bad); /* skip current version: 1 */
+	ceph_decode_skip_8(p, end, bad); /* skip first version: 1 */
+	ceph_decode_skip_32(p, end, bad); /* skip payload length */
+
+	ceph_decode_32_safe(p, end, value_len, bad);
+
+	if (value_len == end - *p) {
+	  info->xattr_info.xattr_value = *p;
+	  info->xattr_info.xattr_value_len = value_len;
+	  *p = end;
+	  return value_len;
+	}
+bad:
+	return -EIO;
+}
+
 /*
  * parse extra results
  */
@@ -570,6 +592,8 @@ static int parse_reply_info_extra(void **p, void *end,
 		return parse_reply_info_readdir(p, end, info, features);
 	else if (op == CEPH_MDS_OP_CREATE)
 		return parse_reply_info_create(p, end, info, features, s);
+	else if (op == CEPH_MDS_OP_GETVXATTR)
+		return parse_reply_info_getvxattr(p, end, info, features);
 	else
 		return -EIO;
 }
diff --git a/fs/ceph/mds_client.h b/fs/ceph/mds_client.h
index ab12f3ce81a3..33497846e47e 100644
--- a/fs/ceph/mds_client.h
+++ b/fs/ceph/mds_client.h
@@ -100,6 +100,11 @@ struct ceph_mds_reply_dir_entry {
 	loff_t			      offset;
 };
 
+struct ceph_mds_reply_xattr {
+	char *xattr_value;
+	size_t xattr_value_len;
+};
+
 /*
  * parsed info about an mds reply, including information about
  * either: 1) the target inode and/or its parent directory and dentry,
@@ -115,6 +120,7 @@ struct ceph_mds_reply_info_parsed {
 	char                          *dname;
 	u32                           dname_len;
 	struct ceph_mds_reply_lease   *dlease;
+	struct ceph_mds_reply_xattr   xattr_info;
 
 	/* extra */
 	union {
diff --git a/fs/ceph/strings.c b/fs/ceph/strings.c
index 573bb9556fb5..e36e8948e728 100644
--- a/fs/ceph/strings.c
+++ b/fs/ceph/strings.c
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ const char *ceph_mds_op_name(int op)
 	case CEPH_MDS_OP_LOOKUPINO:  return "lookupino";
 	case CEPH_MDS_OP_LOOKUPNAME:  return "lookupname";
 	case CEPH_MDS_OP_GETATTR:  return "getattr";
+	case CEPH_MDS_OP_GETVXATTR:  return "getvxattr";
 	case CEPH_MDS_OP_SETXATTR: return "setxattr";
 	case CEPH_MDS_OP_SETATTR: return "setattr";
 	case CEPH_MDS_OP_RMXATTR: return "rmxattr";
diff --git a/fs/ceph/super.h b/fs/ceph/super.h
index a35c27489901..4569f802ddbb 100644
--- a/fs/ceph/super.h
+++ b/fs/ceph/super.h
@@ -1048,6 +1048,7 @@ static inline bool ceph_inode_is_shutdown(struct inode *inode)
 
 /* xattr.c */
 int __ceph_setxattr(struct inode *, const char *, const void *, size_t, int);
+int ceph_do_getvxattr(struct inode *inode, const char *name, void *value, size_t size);
 ssize_t __ceph_getxattr(struct inode *, const char *, void *, size_t);
 extern ssize_t ceph_listxattr(struct dentry *, char *, size_t);
 extern struct ceph_buffer *__ceph_build_xattrs_blob(struct ceph_inode_info *ci);
diff --git a/fs/ceph/xattr.c b/fs/ceph/xattr.c
index fcf7dfdecf96..afec84088471 100644
--- a/fs/ceph/xattr.c
+++ b/fs/ceph/xattr.c
@@ -923,10 +923,13 @@ ssize_t __ceph_getxattr(struct inode *inode, const char *name, void *value,
 {
 	struct ceph_inode_info *ci = ceph_inode(inode);
 	struct ceph_inode_xattr *xattr;
-	struct ceph_vxattr *vxattr = NULL;
+	struct ceph_vxattr *vxattr;
 	int req_mask;
 	ssize_t err;
 
+	if (strncmp(name, XATTR_CEPH_PREFIX, XATTR_CEPH_PREFIX_LEN))
+		goto handle_non_vxattrs;
+
 	/* let's see if a virtual xattr was requested */
 	vxattr = ceph_match_vxattr(inode, name);
 	if (vxattr) {
@@ -945,8 +948,14 @@ ssize_t __ceph_getxattr(struct inode *inode, const char *name, void *value,
 				err = -ERANGE;
 		}
 		return err;
+	} else {
+		err = ceph_do_getvxattr(inode, name, value, size);
+		/* this would happen with a new client and old server combo */
+		if (err == -EOPNOTSUPP)
+			err = -ENODATA;
+		return err;
 	}
-
+handle_non_vxattrs:
 	req_mask = __get_request_mask(inode);
 
 	spin_lock(&ci->i_ceph_lock);
diff --git a/include/linux/ceph/ceph_fs.h b/include/linux/ceph/ceph_fs.h
index 7ad6c3d0db7d..66db21ac5f0c 100644
--- a/include/linux/ceph/ceph_fs.h
+++ b/include/linux/ceph/ceph_fs.h
@@ -328,6 +328,7 @@ enum {
 	CEPH_MDS_OP_LOOKUPPARENT = 0x00103,
 	CEPH_MDS_OP_LOOKUPINO  = 0x00104,
 	CEPH_MDS_OP_LOOKUPNAME = 0x00105,
+	CEPH_MDS_OP_GETVXATTR  = 0x00106,
 
 	CEPH_MDS_OP_SETXATTR   = 0x01105,
 	CEPH_MDS_OP_RMXATTR    = 0x01106,