diff --git a/block/blk-barrier.c b/block/blk-barrier.c
index e544813..988b634 100644
--- a/block/blk-barrier.c
+++ b/block/blk-barrier.c
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@
 			nr_sects = 0;
 		}
 		bio_get(bio);
-		submit_bio(WRITE_DISCARD, bio);
+		submit_bio(DISCARD_BARRIER, bio);
 
 		/* Check if it failed immediately */
 		if (bio_flagged(bio, BIO_EOPNOTSUPP))
diff --git a/block/blk-core.c b/block/blk-core.c
index 1e143c4..1261516 100644
--- a/block/blk-core.c
+++ b/block/blk-core.c
@@ -1077,12 +1077,13 @@
 	/*
 	 * REQ_BARRIER implies no merging, but lets make it explicit
 	 */
-	if (unlikely(bio_barrier(bio)))
-		req->cmd_flags |= (REQ_HARDBARRIER | REQ_NOMERGE);
 	if (unlikely(bio_discard(bio))) {
-		req->cmd_flags |= (REQ_SOFTBARRIER | REQ_DISCARD);
+		req->cmd_flags |= REQ_DISCARD;
+		if (bio_barrier(bio))
+			req->cmd_flags |= REQ_SOFTBARRIER;
 		req->q->prepare_discard_fn(req->q, req);
-	}
+	} else if (unlikely(bio_barrier(bio)))
+		req->cmd_flags |= (REQ_HARDBARRIER | REQ_NOMERGE);
 
 	if (bio_sync(bio))
 		req->cmd_flags |= REQ_RW_SYNC;
@@ -1114,7 +1115,8 @@
 	blk_queue_bounce(q, &bio);
 
 	barrier = bio_barrier(bio);
-	if (unlikely(barrier) && (q->next_ordered == QUEUE_ORDERED_NONE)) {
+	if (unlikely(barrier) && bio_has_data(bio) &&
+	    (q->next_ordered == QUEUE_ORDERED_NONE)) {
 		err = -EOPNOTSUPP;
 		goto end_io;
 	}
diff --git a/block/blk-merge.c b/block/blk-merge.c
index 5efc9e7..6cf8f0c 100644
--- a/block/blk-merge.c
+++ b/block/blk-merge.c
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 void blk_recalc_rq_sectors(struct request *rq, int nsect)
 {
-	if (blk_fs_request(rq)) {
+	if (blk_fs_request(rq) || blk_discard_rq(rq)) {
 		rq->hard_sector += nsect;
 		rq->hard_nr_sectors -= nsect;
 
@@ -131,13 +131,17 @@
 	if (!test_bit(QUEUE_FLAG_CLUSTER, &q->queue_flags))
 		return 0;
 
-	if (!BIOVEC_PHYS_MERGEABLE(__BVEC_END(bio), __BVEC_START(nxt)))
-		return 0;
 	if (bio->bi_size + nxt->bi_size > q->max_segment_size)
 		return 0;
 
+	if (!bio_has_data(bio))
+		return 1;
+
+	if (!BIOVEC_PHYS_MERGEABLE(__BVEC_END(bio), __BVEC_START(nxt)))
+		return 0;
+
 	/*
-	 * bio and nxt are contigous in memory, check if the queue allows
+	 * bio and nxt are contiguous in memory; check if the queue allows
 	 * these two to be merged into one
 	 */
 	if (BIO_SEG_BOUNDARY(q, bio, nxt))
@@ -153,8 +157,9 @@
 		blk_recount_segments(q, bio);
 	if (!bio_flagged(nxt, BIO_SEG_VALID))
 		blk_recount_segments(q, nxt);
-	if (!BIOVEC_VIRT_MERGEABLE(__BVEC_END(bio), __BVEC_START(nxt)) ||
-	    BIOVEC_VIRT_OVERSIZE(bio->bi_hw_back_size + nxt->bi_hw_front_size))
+	if (bio_has_data(bio) &&
+	    (!BIOVEC_VIRT_MERGEABLE(__BVEC_END(bio), __BVEC_START(nxt)) ||
+	     BIOVEC_VIRT_OVERSIZE(bio->bi_hw_back_size + nxt->bi_hw_front_size)))
 		return 0;
 	if (bio->bi_hw_back_size + nxt->bi_hw_front_size > q->max_segment_size)
 		return 0;
@@ -317,8 +322,9 @@
 	if (!bio_flagged(bio, BIO_SEG_VALID))
 		blk_recount_segments(q, bio);
 	len = req->biotail->bi_hw_back_size + bio->bi_hw_front_size;
-	if (BIOVEC_VIRT_MERGEABLE(__BVEC_END(req->biotail), __BVEC_START(bio))
-	    && !BIOVEC_VIRT_OVERSIZE(len)) {
+	if (!bio_has_data(bio) || 
+	    (BIOVEC_VIRT_MERGEABLE(__BVEC_END(req->biotail), __BVEC_START(bio))
+	     && !BIOVEC_VIRT_OVERSIZE(len))) {
 		int mergeable =  ll_new_mergeable(q, req, bio);
 
 		if (mergeable) {
@@ -356,8 +362,9 @@
 		blk_recount_segments(q, bio);
 	if (!bio_flagged(req->bio, BIO_SEG_VALID))
 		blk_recount_segments(q, req->bio);
-	if (BIOVEC_VIRT_MERGEABLE(__BVEC_END(bio), __BVEC_START(req->bio)) &&
-	    !BIOVEC_VIRT_OVERSIZE(len)) {
+	if (!bio_has_data(bio) || 
+	    (BIOVEC_VIRT_MERGEABLE(__BVEC_END(bio), __BVEC_START(req->bio)) &&
+	     !BIOVEC_VIRT_OVERSIZE(len))) {
 		int mergeable =  ll_new_mergeable(q, req, bio);
 
 		if (mergeable) {
diff --git a/block/elevator.c b/block/elevator.c
index ed6f8f3..4f51270 100644
--- a/block/elevator.c
+++ b/block/elevator.c
@@ -75,6 +75,12 @@
 		return 0;
 
 	/*
+	 * Don't merge file system requests and discard requests
+	 */
+	if (bio_discard(bio) != bio_discard(rq->bio))
+		return 0;
+
+	/*
 	 * different data direction or already started, don't merge
 	 */
 	if (bio_data_dir(bio) != rq_data_dir(rq))
@@ -438,6 +444,8 @@
 	list_for_each_prev(entry, &q->queue_head) {
 		struct request *pos = list_entry_rq(entry);
 
+		if (blk_discard_rq(rq) != blk_discard_rq(pos))
+			break;
 		if (rq_data_dir(rq) != rq_data_dir(pos))
 			break;
 		if (pos->cmd_flags & stop_flags)
@@ -607,7 +615,7 @@
 		break;
 
 	case ELEVATOR_INSERT_SORT:
-		BUG_ON(!blk_fs_request(rq));
+		BUG_ON(!blk_fs_request(rq) && !blk_discard_rq(rq));
 		rq->cmd_flags |= REQ_SORTED;
 		q->nr_sorted++;
 		if (rq_mergeable(rq)) {
@@ -692,7 +700,7 @@
 		 * this request is scheduling boundary, update
 		 * end_sector
 		 */
-		if (blk_fs_request(rq)) {
+		if (blk_fs_request(rq) || blk_discard_rq(rq)) {
 			q->end_sector = rq_end_sector(rq);
 			q->boundary_rq = rq;
 		}
diff --git a/block/ioctl.c b/block/ioctl.c
index 342298b..375c579 100644
--- a/block/ioctl.c
+++ b/block/ioctl.c
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@
 			bio->bi_size = len << 9;
 			len = 0;
 		}
-		submit_bio(WRITE_DISCARD, bio);
+		submit_bio(DISCARD_NOBARRIER, bio);
 
 		wait_for_completion(&wait);
 
diff --git a/include/linux/bio.h b/include/linux/bio.h
index 1fdfc56..33c3947 100644
--- a/include/linux/bio.h
+++ b/include/linux/bio.h
@@ -188,8 +188,8 @@
 #define bio_failfast(bio)	((bio)->bi_rw & (1 << BIO_RW_FAILFAST))
 #define bio_rw_ahead(bio)	((bio)->bi_rw & (1 << BIO_RW_AHEAD))
 #define bio_rw_meta(bio)	((bio)->bi_rw & (1 << BIO_RW_META))
-#define bio_empty_barrier(bio)	(bio_barrier(bio) && !bio_has_data(bio))
 #define bio_discard(bio)	((bio)->bi_rw & (1 << BIO_RW_DISCARD))
+#define bio_empty_barrier(bio)	(bio_barrier(bio) && !bio_has_data(bio) && !bio_discard(bio))
 
 static inline unsigned int bio_cur_sectors(struct bio *bio)
 {
diff --git a/include/linux/blkdev.h b/include/linux/blkdev.h
index 727886d..e9eb35c 100644
--- a/include/linux/blkdev.h
+++ b/include/linux/blkdev.h
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@
 #define blk_noretry_request(rq)	((rq)->cmd_flags & REQ_FAILFAST)
 #define blk_rq_started(rq)	((rq)->cmd_flags & REQ_STARTED)
 
-#define blk_account_rq(rq)	(blk_rq_started(rq) && blk_fs_request(rq))
+#define blk_account_rq(rq)	(blk_rq_started(rq) && (blk_fs_request(rq) || blk_discard_rq(rq))) 
 
 #define blk_pm_suspend_request(rq)	((rq)->cmd_type == REQ_TYPE_PM_SUSPEND)
 #define blk_pm_resume_request(rq)	((rq)->cmd_type == REQ_TYPE_PM_RESUME)
@@ -598,7 +598,8 @@
 #define RQ_NOMERGE_FLAGS	\
 	(REQ_NOMERGE | REQ_STARTED | REQ_HARDBARRIER | REQ_SOFTBARRIER)
 #define rq_mergeable(rq)	\
-	(!((rq)->cmd_flags & RQ_NOMERGE_FLAGS) && blk_fs_request((rq)))
+	(!((rq)->cmd_flags & RQ_NOMERGE_FLAGS) && \
+	 (blk_discard_rq(rq) || blk_fs_request((rq))))
 
 /*
  * q->prep_rq_fn return values
diff --git a/include/linux/fs.h b/include/linux/fs.h
index 88358ca..860689f 100644
--- a/include/linux/fs.h
+++ b/include/linux/fs.h
@@ -87,7 +87,8 @@
 #define WRITE_SYNC	(WRITE | (1 << BIO_RW_SYNC))
 #define SWRITE_SYNC	(SWRITE | (1 << BIO_RW_SYNC))
 #define WRITE_BARRIER	(WRITE | (1 << BIO_RW_BARRIER))
-#define WRITE_DISCARD	(WRITE | (1 << BIO_RW_DISCARD))
+#define DISCARD_NOBARRIER (1 << BIO_RW_DISCARD)
+#define DISCARD_BARRIER ((1 << BIO_RW_DISCARD) | (1 << BIO_RW_BARRIER))
 
 #define SEL_IN		1
 #define SEL_OUT		2