diff --git a/Documentation/memory-hotplug.txt b/Documentation/memory-hotplug.txt
index ce2cfcf35c27..443f4b44ad97 100644
--- a/Documentation/memory-hotplug.txt
+++ b/Documentation/memory-hotplug.txt
@@ -256,10 +256,27 @@ If the memory block is offline, you'll read "offline".
 
 5.2. How to online memory
 ------------
-Even if the memory is hot-added, it is not at ready-to-use state.
-For using newly added memory, you have to "online" the memory block.
+When the memory is hot-added, the kernel decides whether or not to "online"
+it according to the policy which can be read from "auto_online_blocks" file:
 
-For onlining, you have to write "online" to the memory block's state file as:
+% cat /sys/devices/system/memory/auto_online_blocks
+
+The default is "offline" which means the newly added memory is not in a
+ready-to-use state and you have to "online" the newly added memory blocks
+manually. Automatic onlining can be requested by writing "online" to
+"auto_online_blocks" file:
+
+% echo online > /sys/devices/system/memory/auto_online_blocks
+
+This sets a global policy and impacts all memory blocks that will subsequently
+be hotplugged. Currently offline blocks keep their state. It is possible, under
+certain circumstances, that some memory blocks will be added but will fail to
+online. User space tools can check their "state" files
+(/sys/devices/system/memory/memoryXXX/state) and try to online them manually.
+
+If the automatic onlining wasn't requested, failed, or some memory block was
+offlined it is possible to change the individual block's state by writing to the
+"state" file:
 
 % echo online > /sys/devices/system/memory/memoryXXX/state
 
diff --git a/drivers/base/memory.c b/drivers/base/memory.c
index 213456c2b123..f46dba8b7092 100644
--- a/drivers/base/memory.c
+++ b/drivers/base/memory.c
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ memory_block_action(unsigned long phys_index, unsigned long action, int online_t
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static int memory_block_change_state(struct memory_block *mem,
+int memory_block_change_state(struct memory_block *mem,
 		unsigned long to_state, unsigned long from_state_req)
 {
 	int ret = 0;
@@ -438,6 +438,37 @@ print_block_size(struct device *dev, struct device_attribute *attr,
 
 static DEVICE_ATTR(block_size_bytes, 0444, print_block_size, NULL);
 
+/*
+ * Memory auto online policy.
+ */
+
+static ssize_t
+show_auto_online_blocks(struct device *dev, struct device_attribute *attr,
+			char *buf)
+{
+	if (memhp_auto_online)
+		return sprintf(buf, "online\n");
+	else
+		return sprintf(buf, "offline\n");
+}
+
+static ssize_t
+store_auto_online_blocks(struct device *dev, struct device_attribute *attr,
+			 const char *buf, size_t count)
+{
+	if (sysfs_streq(buf, "online"))
+		memhp_auto_online = true;
+	else if (sysfs_streq(buf, "offline"))
+		memhp_auto_online = false;
+	else
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	return count;
+}
+
+static DEVICE_ATTR(auto_online_blocks, 0644, show_auto_online_blocks,
+		   store_auto_online_blocks);
+
 /*
  * Some architectures will have custom drivers to do this, and
  * will not need to do it from userspace.  The fake hot-add code
@@ -746,6 +777,7 @@ static struct attribute *memory_root_attrs[] = {
 #endif
 
 	&dev_attr_block_size_bytes.attr,
+	&dev_attr_auto_online_blocks.attr,
 	NULL
 };
 
diff --git a/drivers/xen/balloon.c b/drivers/xen/balloon.c
index dc4305b407bf..e6058debd01b 100644
--- a/drivers/xen/balloon.c
+++ b/drivers/xen/balloon.c
@@ -338,7 +338,7 @@ static enum bp_state reserve_additional_memory(void)
 	}
 #endif
 
-	rc = add_memory_resource(nid, resource);
+	rc = add_memory_resource(nid, resource, false);
 	if (rc) {
 		pr_warn("Cannot add additional memory (%i)\n", rc);
 		goto err;
diff --git a/include/linux/memory.h b/include/linux/memory.h
index 8b8d8d12348e..82730adba950 100644
--- a/include/linux/memory.h
+++ b/include/linux/memory.h
@@ -109,6 +109,9 @@ extern void unregister_memory_notifier(struct notifier_block *nb);
 extern int register_memory_isolate_notifier(struct notifier_block *nb);
 extern void unregister_memory_isolate_notifier(struct notifier_block *nb);
 extern int register_new_memory(int, struct mem_section *);
+extern int memory_block_change_state(struct memory_block *mem,
+				     unsigned long to_state,
+				     unsigned long from_state_req);
 #ifdef CONFIG_MEMORY_HOTREMOVE
 extern int unregister_memory_section(struct mem_section *);
 #endif
diff --git a/include/linux/memory_hotplug.h b/include/linux/memory_hotplug.h
index 43405992d027..769d76870550 100644
--- a/include/linux/memory_hotplug.h
+++ b/include/linux/memory_hotplug.h
@@ -99,6 +99,8 @@ extern void __online_page_free(struct page *page);
 
 extern int try_online_node(int nid);
 
+extern bool memhp_auto_online;
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_MEMORY_HOTREMOVE
 extern bool is_pageblock_removable_nolock(struct page *page);
 extern int arch_remove_memory(u64 start, u64 size);
@@ -267,7 +269,7 @@ static inline void remove_memory(int nid, u64 start, u64 size) {}
 extern int walk_memory_range(unsigned long start_pfn, unsigned long end_pfn,
 		void *arg, int (*func)(struct memory_block *, void *));
 extern int add_memory(int nid, u64 start, u64 size);
-extern int add_memory_resource(int nid, struct resource *resource);
+extern int add_memory_resource(int nid, struct resource *resource, bool online);
 extern int zone_for_memory(int nid, u64 start, u64 size, int zone_default,
 		bool for_device);
 extern int arch_add_memory(int nid, u64 start, u64 size, bool for_device);
diff --git a/mm/memory_hotplug.c b/mm/memory_hotplug.c
index 979b18cbd343..484e86761b3e 100644
--- a/mm/memory_hotplug.c
+++ b/mm/memory_hotplug.c
@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@ static struct {
 #define memhp_lock_acquire()      lock_map_acquire(&mem_hotplug.dep_map)
 #define memhp_lock_release()      lock_map_release(&mem_hotplug.dep_map)
 
+bool memhp_auto_online;
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(memhp_auto_online);
+
 void get_online_mems(void)
 {
 	might_sleep();
@@ -1261,8 +1264,13 @@ int zone_for_memory(int nid, u64 start, u64 size, int zone_default,
 	return zone_default;
 }
 
+static int online_memory_block(struct memory_block *mem, void *arg)
+{
+	return memory_block_change_state(mem, MEM_ONLINE, MEM_OFFLINE);
+}
+
 /* we are OK calling __meminit stuff here - we have CONFIG_MEMORY_HOTPLUG */
-int __ref add_memory_resource(int nid, struct resource *res)
+int __ref add_memory_resource(int nid, struct resource *res, bool online)
 {
 	u64 start, size;
 	pg_data_t *pgdat = NULL;
@@ -1322,6 +1330,11 @@ int __ref add_memory_resource(int nid, struct resource *res)
 	/* create new memmap entry */
 	firmware_map_add_hotplug(start, start + size, "System RAM");
 
+	/* online pages if requested */
+	if (online)
+		walk_memory_range(PFN_DOWN(start), PFN_UP(start + size - 1),
+				  NULL, online_memory_block);
+
 	goto out;
 
 error:
@@ -1345,7 +1358,7 @@ int __ref add_memory(int nid, u64 start, u64 size)
 	if (IS_ERR(res))
 		return PTR_ERR(res);
 
-	ret = add_memory_resource(nid, res);
+	ret = add_memory_resource(nid, res, memhp_auto_online);
 	if (ret < 0)
 		release_memory_resource(res);
 	return ret;