diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 513d67bda108dd8c4d4f249bca3dd4e43b8dea11..202a14377483fc396e3264b266d4c51c8ef72e90 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -445,6 +445,7 @@ lib/_autoconf.py: Makefile stamp-directories
 	  echo "TOOLSDIR = '$(toolsdir)'"; \
 	  echo "GNT_SCRIPTS = [$(foreach i,$(notdir $(gnt_scripts)),'$(i)',)]"; \
 	  echo "PKGLIBDIR = '$(pkglibdir)'"; \
+	  echo "DRBD_BARRIERS = $(DRBD_BARRIERS)"; \
 	} > $@
 
 $(REPLACE_VARS_SED): Makefile
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 441bd3a0d7244090295470444999ab8959f765a0..ab3d935778ecc51e05d0a14e7c33158a20c5f237 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ AC_ARG_WITH([kvm-path],
   [kvm_path="/usr/bin/kvm"])
 AC_SUBST(KVM_PATH, $kvm_path)
 
-# ---with-lvm-stripecount=...
+# --with-lvm-stripecount=...
 AC_ARG_WITH([lvm-stripecount],
   [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-lvm-stripecount=NUM],
     [the number of stripes to use for LVM volumes]
@@ -118,6 +118,19 @@ AC_ARG_WITH([lvm-stripecount],
   [lvm_stripecount="1"])
 AC_SUBST(LVM_STRIPECOUNT, $lvm_stripecount)
 
+# --enable-drbd-barriers
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([drbd-barriers],
+  [AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-drbd-barriers],
+    [enable the DRBD barrier functionality (>= 8.0.12) (default: enabled)])],
+  [[if test "$enableval" != no; then
+      DRBD_BARRIERS=True
+    else
+      DRBD_BARRIERS=False
+    fi
+  ]],
+  [DRBD_BARRIERS=True])
+AC_SUBST(DRBD_BARRIERS, $DRBD_BARRIERS)
+
 # Check common programs
 AC_PROG_INSTALL
 AC_PROG_LN_S
diff --git a/lib/bdev.py b/lib/bdev.py
index 722f12cfc1f69ba2b4332bc9df1205d18ee1c30a..d9718a781d78301c6e0e0b8c1d111de5c01a8e5a 100644
--- a/lib/bdev.py
+++ b/lib/bdev.py
@@ -1215,6 +1215,24 @@ class DRBD8(BaseDRBD):
             "--create-device"]
     if size:
       args.extend(["-d", "%sm" % size])
+    if not constants.DRBD_BARRIERS: # disable barriers, if configured so
+      version = cls._GetVersion()
+      # various DRBD versions support different disk barrier options;
+      # what we aim here is to revert back to the 'drain' method of
+      # disk flushes and to disable metadata barriers, in effect going
+      # back to pre-8.0.7 behaviour
+      vmaj = version['k_major']
+      vmin = version['k_minor']
+      vrel = version['k_point']
+      assert vmaj == 8
+      if vmin == 0: # 8.0.x
+        if vrel >= 12:
+          args.extend(['-i', '-m'])
+      elif vmin == 2: # 8.2.x
+        if vrel >= 7:
+          args.extend(['-i', '-m'])
+      elif vmaj >= 3: # 8.3.x or newer
+        args.extend(['-i', '-a', 'm'])
     result = utils.RunCmd(args)
     if result.failed:
       _ThrowError("drbd%d: can't attach local disk: %s", minor, result.output)
diff --git a/lib/constants.py b/lib/constants.py
index c20e65bde0466be4ee844ea013a5df1d022e4e04..74f330395705dbce1c196e30224116ca6cd09ba4 100644
--- a/lib/constants.py
+++ b/lib/constants.py
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@ LDS_BLOCK = frozenset([LD_LV, LD_DRBD8])
 # drbd constants
 DRBD_HMAC_ALG = "md5"
 DRBD_NET_PROTOCOL = "C"
+DRBD_BARRIERS = _autoconf.DRBD_BARRIERS
 
 # file backend driver
 FD_LOOP = "loop"