diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/relay.txt b/Documentation/filesystems/relay.txt
index 094f2d2..510b722 100644
--- a/Documentation/filesystems/relay.txt
+++ b/Documentation/filesystems/relay.txt
@@ -294,6 +294,16 @@
 (including in create_buf_file()) via chan->private_data or
 buf->chan->private_data.
 
+Buffer-only channels
+--------------------
+
+These channels have no files associated and can be created with
+relay_open(NULL, NULL, ...). Such channels are useful in scenarios such
+as when doing early tracing in the kernel, before the VFS is up. In these
+cases, one may open a buffer-only channel and then call
+relay_late_setup_files() when the kernel is ready to handle files,
+to expose the buffered data to the userspace.
+
 Channel 'modes'
 ---------------
 
diff --git a/include/linux/relay.h b/include/linux/relay.h
index 6cd8c44..953fc05 100644
--- a/include/linux/relay.h
+++ b/include/linux/relay.h
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@
 	size_t *padding;		/* padding counts per sub-buffer */
 	size_t prev_padding;		/* temporary variable */
 	size_t bytes_consumed;		/* bytes consumed in cur read subbuf */
+	size_t early_bytes;		/* bytes consumed before VFS inited */
 	unsigned int cpu;		/* this buf's cpu */
 } ____cacheline_aligned;
 
@@ -68,6 +69,7 @@
 	int is_global;			/* One global buffer ? */
 	struct list_head list;		/* for channel list */
 	struct dentry *parent;		/* parent dentry passed to open */
+	int has_base_filename;		/* has a filename associated? */
 	char base_filename[NAME_MAX];	/* saved base filename */
 };
 
@@ -169,6 +171,9 @@
 			 size_t n_subbufs,
 			 struct rchan_callbacks *cb,
 			 void *private_data);
+extern int relay_late_setup_files(struct rchan *chan,
+				  const char *base_filename,
+				  struct dentry *parent);
 extern void relay_close(struct rchan *chan);
 extern void relay_flush(struct rchan *chan);
 extern void relay_subbufs_consumed(struct rchan *chan,
diff --git a/kernel/relay.c b/kernel/relay.c
index 7de644c..04006ef 100644
--- a/kernel/relay.c
+++ b/kernel/relay.c
@@ -407,6 +407,35 @@
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(relay_reset);
 
+static inline void relay_set_buf_dentry(struct rchan_buf *buf,
+					struct dentry *dentry)
+{
+	buf->dentry = dentry;
+	buf->dentry->d_inode->i_size = buf->early_bytes;
+}
+
+static struct dentry *relay_create_buf_file(struct rchan *chan,
+					    struct rchan_buf *buf,
+					    unsigned int cpu)
+{
+	struct dentry *dentry;
+	char *tmpname;
+
+	tmpname = kzalloc(NAME_MAX + 1, GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!tmpname)
+		return NULL;
+	snprintf(tmpname, NAME_MAX, "%s%d", chan->base_filename, cpu);
+
+	/* Create file in fs */
+	dentry = chan->cb->create_buf_file(tmpname, chan->parent,
+					   S_IRUSR, buf,
+					   &chan->is_global);
+
+	kfree(tmpname);
+
+	return dentry;
+}
+
 /*
  *	relay_open_buf - create a new relay channel buffer
  *
@@ -416,45 +445,34 @@
 {
  	struct rchan_buf *buf = NULL;
 	struct dentry *dentry;
- 	char *tmpname;
 
  	if (chan->is_global)
 		return chan->buf[0];
 
-	tmpname = kzalloc(NAME_MAX + 1, GFP_KERNEL);
- 	if (!tmpname)
- 		goto end;
- 	snprintf(tmpname, NAME_MAX, "%s%d", chan->base_filename, cpu);
-
 	buf = relay_create_buf(chan);
 	if (!buf)
- 		goto free_name;
+		return NULL;
+
+	if (chan->has_base_filename) {
+		dentry = relay_create_buf_file(chan, buf, cpu);
+		if (!dentry)
+			goto free_buf;
+		relay_set_buf_dentry(buf, dentry);
+	}
 
  	buf->cpu = cpu;
  	__relay_reset(buf, 1);
 
-	/* Create file in fs */
- 	dentry = chan->cb->create_buf_file(tmpname, chan->parent, S_IRUSR,
- 					   buf, &chan->is_global);
- 	if (!dentry)
- 		goto free_buf;
-
-	buf->dentry = dentry;
-
  	if(chan->is_global) {
  		chan->buf[0] = buf;
  		buf->cpu = 0;
   	}
 
- 	goto free_name;
+	return buf;
 
 free_buf:
  	relay_destroy_buf(buf);
- 	buf = NULL;
-free_name:
- 	kfree(tmpname);
-end:
-	return buf;
+	return NULL;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -537,8 +555,8 @@
 
 /**
  *	relay_open - create a new relay channel
- *	@base_filename: base name of files to create
- *	@parent: dentry of parent directory, %NULL for root directory
+ *	@base_filename: base name of files to create, %NULL for buffering only
+ *	@parent: dentry of parent directory, %NULL for root directory or buffer
  *	@subbuf_size: size of sub-buffers
  *	@n_subbufs: number of sub-buffers
  *	@cb: client callback functions
@@ -560,8 +578,6 @@
 {
 	unsigned int i;
 	struct rchan *chan;
-	if (!base_filename)
-		return NULL;
 
 	if (!(subbuf_size && n_subbufs))
 		return NULL;
@@ -576,7 +592,10 @@
 	chan->alloc_size = FIX_SIZE(subbuf_size * n_subbufs);
 	chan->parent = parent;
 	chan->private_data = private_data;
-	strlcpy(chan->base_filename, base_filename, NAME_MAX);
+	if (base_filename) {
+		chan->has_base_filename = 1;
+		strlcpy(chan->base_filename, base_filename, NAME_MAX);
+	}
 	setup_callbacks(chan, cb);
 	kref_init(&chan->kref);
 
@@ -604,6 +623,94 @@
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(relay_open);
 
+struct rchan_percpu_buf_dispatcher {
+	struct rchan_buf *buf;
+	struct dentry *dentry;
+};
+
+/* Called in atomic context. */
+static void __relay_set_buf_dentry(void *info)
+{
+	struct rchan_percpu_buf_dispatcher *p = info;
+
+	relay_set_buf_dentry(p->buf, p->dentry);
+}
+
+/**
+ *	relay_late_setup_files - triggers file creation
+ *	@chan: channel to operate on
+ *	@base_filename: base name of files to create
+ *	@parent: dentry of parent directory, %NULL for root directory
+ *
+ *	Returns 0 if successful, non-zero otherwise.
+ *
+ *	Use to setup files for a previously buffer-only channel.
+ *	Useful to do early tracing in kernel, before VFS is up, for example.
+ */
+int relay_late_setup_files(struct rchan *chan,
+			   const char *base_filename,
+			   struct dentry *parent)
+{
+	int err = 0;
+	unsigned int i, curr_cpu;
+	unsigned long flags;
+	struct dentry *dentry;
+	struct rchan_percpu_buf_dispatcher disp;
+
+	if (!chan || !base_filename)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	strlcpy(chan->base_filename, base_filename, NAME_MAX);
+
+	mutex_lock(&relay_channels_mutex);
+	/* Is chan already set up? */
+	if (unlikely(chan->has_base_filename))
+		return -EEXIST;
+	chan->has_base_filename = 1;
+	chan->parent = parent;
+	curr_cpu = get_cpu();
+	/*
+	 * The CPU hotplug notifier ran before us and created buffers with
+	 * no files associated. So it's safe to call relay_setup_buf_file()
+	 * on all currently online CPUs.
+	 */
+	for_each_online_cpu(i) {
+		if (unlikely(!chan->buf[i])) {
+			printk(KERN_ERR "relay_late_setup_files: CPU %u "
+					"has no buffer, it must have!\n", i);
+			BUG();
+			err = -EINVAL;
+			break;
+		}
+
+		dentry = relay_create_buf_file(chan, chan->buf[i], i);
+		if (unlikely(!dentry)) {
+			err = -EINVAL;
+			break;
+		}
+
+		if (curr_cpu == i) {
+			local_irq_save(flags);
+			relay_set_buf_dentry(chan->buf[i], dentry);
+			local_irq_restore(flags);
+		} else {
+			disp.buf = chan->buf[i];
+			disp.dentry = dentry;
+			smp_mb();
+			/* relay_channels_mutex must be held, so wait. */
+			err = smp_call_function_single(i,
+						       __relay_set_buf_dentry,
+						       &disp, 1);
+		}
+		if (unlikely(err))
+			break;
+	}
+	put_cpu();
+	mutex_unlock(&relay_channels_mutex);
+
+	return err;
+}
+
 /**
  *	relay_switch_subbuf - switch to a new sub-buffer
  *	@buf: channel buffer
@@ -627,8 +734,13 @@
 		old_subbuf = buf->subbufs_produced % buf->chan->n_subbufs;
 		buf->padding[old_subbuf] = buf->prev_padding;
 		buf->subbufs_produced++;
-		buf->dentry->d_inode->i_size += buf->chan->subbuf_size -
-			buf->padding[old_subbuf];
+		if (buf->dentry)
+			buf->dentry->d_inode->i_size +=
+				buf->chan->subbuf_size -
+				buf->padding[old_subbuf];
+		else
+			buf->early_bytes += buf->chan->subbuf_size -
+					    buf->padding[old_subbuf];
 		smp_mb();
 		if (waitqueue_active(&buf->read_wait))
 			/*
@@ -1237,4 +1349,4 @@
 	return 0;
 }
 
-module_init(relay_init);
+early_initcall(relay_init);