diff --git a/fs/nfs/pnfs_nfs.c b/fs/nfs/pnfs_nfs.c
index 7250b95549ec..1edf5b84aba5 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/pnfs_nfs.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/pnfs_nfs.c
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ pnfs_generic_alloc_ds_commits(struct nfs_commit_info *cinfo,
 	for (i = 0; i < fl_cinfo->nbuckets; i++, bucket++) {
 		if (list_empty(&bucket->committing))
 			continue;
-		data = nfs_commitdata_alloc();
+		data = nfs_commitdata_alloc(false);
 		if (!data)
 			break;
 		data->ds_commit_index = i;
@@ -283,16 +283,10 @@ pnfs_generic_commit_pagelist(struct inode *inode, struct list_head *mds_pages,
 	unsigned int nreq = 0;
 
 	if (!list_empty(mds_pages)) {
-		data = nfs_commitdata_alloc();
-		if (data != NULL) {
-			data->ds_commit_index = -1;
-			list_add(&data->pages, &list);
-			nreq++;
-		} else {
-			nfs_retry_commit(mds_pages, NULL, cinfo, 0);
-			pnfs_generic_retry_commit(cinfo, 0);
-			return -ENOMEM;
-		}
+		data = nfs_commitdata_alloc(true);
+		data->ds_commit_index = -1;
+		list_add(&data->pages, &list);
+		nreq++;
 	}
 
 	nreq += pnfs_generic_alloc_ds_commits(cinfo, &list);
diff --git a/fs/nfs/write.c b/fs/nfs/write.c
index abb2c8a3be42..bdfe5a7c5874 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/write.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/write.c
@@ -60,14 +60,28 @@ static mempool_t *nfs_wdata_mempool;
 static struct kmem_cache *nfs_cdata_cachep;
 static mempool_t *nfs_commit_mempool;
 
-struct nfs_commit_data *nfs_commitdata_alloc(void)
+struct nfs_commit_data *nfs_commitdata_alloc(bool never_fail)
 {
-	struct nfs_commit_data *p = mempool_alloc(nfs_commit_mempool, GFP_NOIO);
+	struct nfs_commit_data *p;
 
-	if (p) {
-		memset(p, 0, sizeof(*p));
-		INIT_LIST_HEAD(&p->pages);
+	if (never_fail)
+		p = mempool_alloc(nfs_commit_mempool, GFP_NOIO);
+	else {
+		/* It is OK to do some reclaim, not no safe to wait
+		 * for anything to be returned to the pool.
+		 * mempool_alloc() cannot handle that particular combination,
+		 * so we need two separate attempts.
+		 */
+		p = mempool_alloc(nfs_commit_mempool, GFP_NOWAIT);
+		if (!p)
+			p = kmem_cache_alloc(nfs_cdata_cachep, GFP_NOIO |
+					     __GFP_NOWARN | __GFP_NORETRY);
+		if (!p)
+			return NULL;
 	}
+
+	memset(p, 0, sizeof(*p));
+	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&p->pages);
 	return p;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(nfs_commitdata_alloc);
@@ -82,8 +96,7 @@ static struct nfs_pgio_header *nfs_writehdr_alloc(void)
 {
 	struct nfs_pgio_header *p = mempool_alloc(nfs_wdata_mempool, GFP_NOIO);
 
-	if (p)
-		memset(p, 0, sizeof(*p));
+	memset(p, 0, sizeof(*p));
 	return p;
 }
 
@@ -1705,19 +1718,13 @@ nfs_commit_list(struct inode *inode, struct list_head *head, int how,
 	if (list_empty(head))
 		return 0;
 
-	data = nfs_commitdata_alloc();
-
-	if (!data)
-		goto out_bad;
+	data = nfs_commitdata_alloc(true);
 
 	/* Set up the argument struct */
 	nfs_init_commit(data, head, NULL, cinfo);
 	atomic_inc(&cinfo->mds->rpcs_out);
 	return nfs_initiate_commit(NFS_CLIENT(inode), data, NFS_PROTO(inode),
 				   data->mds_ops, how, 0);
- out_bad:
-	nfs_retry_commit(head, NULL, cinfo, 0);
-	return -ENOMEM;
 }
 
 int nfs_commit_file(struct file *file, struct nfs_write_verifier *verf)
diff --git a/include/linux/nfs_fs.h b/include/linux/nfs_fs.h
index 287f34161086..1b29915247b2 100644
--- a/include/linux/nfs_fs.h
+++ b/include/linux/nfs_fs.h
@@ -502,7 +502,7 @@ extern int nfs_wb_all(struct inode *inode);
 extern int nfs_wb_single_page(struct inode *inode, struct page *page, bool launder);
 extern int nfs_wb_page_cancel(struct inode *inode, struct page* page);
 extern int  nfs_commit_inode(struct inode *, int);
-extern struct nfs_commit_data *nfs_commitdata_alloc(void);
+extern struct nfs_commit_data *nfs_commitdata_alloc(bool never_fail);
 extern void nfs_commit_free(struct nfs_commit_data *data);
 
 static inline int