u64 rsb, u64 target, unsigned block_offset,
                         int *neras)
 {
+       bool is_zero;
        int i, j, target_index = -1;
        struct dm_buffer *buf;
        struct dm_bufio_client *bufio;
 
                /* locate erasures if the block is on the data device */
                if (bufio == v->fec->data_bufio &&
-                   verity_hash_for_block(v, io, block, want_digest) == 0) {
+                   verity_hash_for_block(v, io, block, want_digest,
+                                         &is_zero) == 0) {
+                       /* skip known zero blocks entirely */
+                       if (is_zero)
+                               continue;
+
                        /*
                         * skip if we have already found the theoretical
                         * maximum number (i.e. fec->roots) of erasures
 
 
 #define DM_VERITY_OPT_LOGGING          "ignore_corruption"
 #define DM_VERITY_OPT_RESTART          "restart_on_corruption"
+#define DM_VERITY_OPT_IGN_ZEROES       "ignore_zero_blocks"
 
-#define DM_VERITY_OPTS_MAX             (1 + DM_VERITY_OPTS_FEC)
+#define DM_VERITY_OPTS_MAX             (2 + DM_VERITY_OPTS_FEC)
 
 static unsigned dm_verity_prefetch_cluster = DM_VERITY_DEFAULT_PREFETCH_SIZE;
 
  * of the hash tree if necessary.
  */
 int verity_hash_for_block(struct dm_verity *v, struct dm_verity_io *io,
-                         sector_t block, u8 *digest)
+                         sector_t block, u8 *digest, bool *is_zero)
 {
-       int i;
-       int r;
+       int r = 0, i;
 
        if (likely(v->levels)) {
                /*
                 */
                r = verity_verify_level(v, io, block, 0, true, digest);
                if (likely(r <= 0))
-                       return r;
+                       goto out;
        }
 
        memcpy(digest, v->root_digest, v->digest_size);
        for (i = v->levels - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
                r = verity_verify_level(v, io, block, i, false, digest);
                if (unlikely(r))
-                       return r;
+                       goto out;
        }
+out:
+       if (!r && v->zero_digest)
+               *is_zero = !memcmp(v->zero_digest, digest, v->digest_size);
+       else
+               *is_zero = false;
 
-       return 0;
+       return r;
 }
 
 /*
        return verity_hash_update(v, verity_io_hash_desc(v, io), data, len);
 }
 
+static int verity_bv_zero(struct dm_verity *v, struct dm_verity_io *io,
+                         u8 *data, size_t len)
+{
+       memset(data, 0, len);
+       return 0;
+}
+
 /*
  * Verify one "dm_verity_io" structure.
  */
 static int verity_verify_io(struct dm_verity_io *io)
 {
+       bool is_zero;
        struct dm_verity *v = io->v;
        struct bvec_iter start;
        unsigned b;
                struct shash_desc *desc = verity_io_hash_desc(v, io);
 
                r = verity_hash_for_block(v, io, io->block + b,
-                                         verity_io_want_digest(v, io));
+                                         verity_io_want_digest(v, io),
+                                         &is_zero);
                if (unlikely(r < 0))
                        return r;
 
+               if (is_zero) {
+                       /*
+                        * If we expect a zero block, don't validate, just
+                        * return zeros.
+                        */
+                       r = verity_for_bv_block(v, io, &io->iter,
+                                               verity_bv_zero);
+                       if (unlikely(r < 0))
+                               return r;
+
+                       continue;
+               }
+
                r = verity_hash_init(v, desc);
                if (unlikely(r < 0))
                        return r;
                        args++;
                if (verity_fec_is_enabled(v))
                        args += DM_VERITY_OPTS_FEC;
+               if (v->zero_digest)
+                       args++;
                if (!args)
                        return;
                DMEMIT(" %u", args);
                                BUG();
                        }
                }
+               if (v->zero_digest)
+                       DMEMIT(" " DM_VERITY_OPT_IGN_ZEROES);
                sz = verity_fec_status_table(v, sz, result, maxlen);
                break;
        }
 
        kfree(v->salt);
        kfree(v->root_digest);
+       kfree(v->zero_digest);
 
        if (v->tfm)
                crypto_free_shash(v->tfm);
        kfree(v);
 }
 
+static int verity_alloc_zero_digest(struct dm_verity *v)
+{
+       int r = -ENOMEM;
+       struct shash_desc *desc;
+       u8 *zero_data;
+
+       v->zero_digest = kmalloc(v->digest_size, GFP_KERNEL);
+
+       if (!v->zero_digest)
+               return r;
+
+       desc = kmalloc(v->shash_descsize, GFP_KERNEL);
+
+       if (!desc)
+               return r; /* verity_dtr will free zero_digest */
+
+       zero_data = kzalloc(1 << v->data_dev_block_bits, GFP_KERNEL);
+
+       if (!zero_data)
+               goto out;
+
+       r = verity_hash(v, desc, zero_data, 1 << v->data_dev_block_bits,
+                       v->zero_digest);
+
+out:
+       kfree(desc);
+       kfree(zero_data);
+
+       return r;
+}
+
 static int verity_parse_opt_args(struct dm_arg_set *as, struct dm_verity *v)
 {
        int r;
                        v->mode = DM_VERITY_MODE_RESTART;
                        continue;
 
+               } else if (!strcasecmp(arg_name, DM_VERITY_OPT_IGN_ZEROES)) {
+                       r = verity_alloc_zero_digest(v);
+                       if (r) {
+                               ti->error = "Cannot allocate zero digest";
+                               return r;
+                       }
+                       continue;
+
                } else if (verity_is_fec_opt_arg(arg_name)) {
                        r = verity_fec_parse_opt_args(as, v, &argc, arg_name);
                        if (r)