diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c
index d4fadbe8ac90..5fc7ec53d650 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c
@@ -31,58 +31,6 @@
 #include "xfs_alloc.h"
 #include "xfs_discard.h"
 
-/*
- * Perform initial CIL structure initialisation.
- */
-int
-xlog_cil_init(
-	struct log	*log)
-{
-	struct xfs_cil	*cil;
-	struct xfs_cil_ctx *ctx;
-
-	cil = kmem_zalloc(sizeof(*cil), KM_SLEEP|KM_MAYFAIL);
-	if (!cil)
-		return ENOMEM;
-
-	ctx = kmem_zalloc(sizeof(*ctx), KM_SLEEP|KM_MAYFAIL);
-	if (!ctx) {
-		kmem_free(cil);
-		return ENOMEM;
-	}
-
-	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&cil->xc_cil);
-	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&cil->xc_committing);
-	spin_lock_init(&cil->xc_cil_lock);
-	init_rwsem(&cil->xc_ctx_lock);
-	init_waitqueue_head(&cil->xc_commit_wait);
-
-	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ctx->committing);
-	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ctx->busy_extents);
-	ctx->sequence = 1;
-	ctx->cil = cil;
-	cil->xc_ctx = ctx;
-	cil->xc_current_sequence = ctx->sequence;
-
-	cil->xc_log = log;
-	log->l_cilp = cil;
-	return 0;
-}
-
-void
-xlog_cil_destroy(
-	struct log	*log)
-{
-	if (log->l_cilp->xc_ctx) {
-		if (log->l_cilp->xc_ctx->ticket)
-			xfs_log_ticket_put(log->l_cilp->xc_ctx->ticket);
-		kmem_free(log->l_cilp->xc_ctx);
-	}
-
-	ASSERT(list_empty(&log->l_cilp->xc_cil));
-	kmem_free(log->l_cilp);
-}
-
 /*
  * Allocate a new ticket. Failing to get a new ticket makes it really hard to
  * recover, so we don't allow failure here. Also, we allocate in a context that
@@ -426,8 +374,7 @@ xlog_cil_committed(
  */
 STATIC int
 xlog_cil_push(
-	struct log		*log,
-	xfs_lsn_t		push_seq)
+	struct log		*log)
 {
 	struct xfs_cil		*cil = log->l_cilp;
 	struct xfs_log_vec	*lv;
@@ -443,39 +390,36 @@ xlog_cil_push(
 	struct xfs_log_iovec	lhdr;
 	struct xfs_log_vec	lvhdr = { NULL };
 	xfs_lsn_t		commit_lsn;
+	xfs_lsn_t		push_seq;
 
 	if (!cil)
 		return 0;
 
-	ASSERT(!push_seq || push_seq <= cil->xc_ctx->sequence);
-
 	new_ctx = kmem_zalloc(sizeof(*new_ctx), KM_SLEEP|KM_NOFS);
 	new_ctx->ticket = xlog_cil_ticket_alloc(log);
 
-	/*
-	 * Lock out transaction commit, but don't block for background pushes
-	 * unless we are well over the CIL space limit. See the definition of
-	 * XLOG_CIL_HARD_SPACE_LIMIT() for the full explanation of the logic
-	 * used here.
-	 */
-	if (!down_write_trylock(&cil->xc_ctx_lock)) {
-		if (!push_seq &&
-		    cil->xc_ctx->space_used < XLOG_CIL_HARD_SPACE_LIMIT(log))
-			goto out_free_ticket;
-		down_write(&cil->xc_ctx_lock);
-	}
+	down_write(&cil->xc_ctx_lock);
 	ctx = cil->xc_ctx;
 
-	/* check if we've anything to push */
-	if (list_empty(&cil->xc_cil))
-		goto out_skip;
+	spin_lock(&cil->xc_cil_lock);
+	push_seq = cil->xc_push_seq;
+	ASSERT(push_seq <= ctx->sequence);
 
-	/* check for spurious background flush */
-	if (!push_seq && cil->xc_ctx->space_used < XLOG_CIL_SPACE_LIMIT(log))
+	/*
+	 * Check if we've anything to push. If there is nothing, then we don't
+	 * move on to a new sequence number and so we have to be able to push
+	 * this sequence again later.
+	 */
+	if (list_empty(&cil->xc_cil)) {
+		cil->xc_push_seq = 0;
+		spin_unlock(&cil->xc_cil_lock);
 		goto out_skip;
+	}
+	spin_unlock(&cil->xc_cil_lock);
+
 
 	/* check for a previously pushed seqeunce */
-	if (push_seq && push_seq < cil->xc_ctx->sequence)
+	if (push_seq < cil->xc_ctx->sequence)
 		goto out_skip;
 
 	/*
@@ -629,7 +573,6 @@ restart:
 
 out_skip:
 	up_write(&cil->xc_ctx_lock);
-out_free_ticket:
 	xfs_log_ticket_put(new_ctx->ticket);
 	kmem_free(new_ctx);
 	return 0;
@@ -641,6 +584,82 @@ out_abort:
 	return XFS_ERROR(EIO);
 }
 
+static void
+xlog_cil_push_work(
+	struct work_struct	*work)
+{
+	struct xfs_cil		*cil = container_of(work, struct xfs_cil,
+							xc_push_work);
+	xlog_cil_push(cil->xc_log);
+}
+
+/*
+ * We need to push CIL every so often so we don't cache more than we can fit in
+ * the log. The limit really is that a checkpoint can't be more than half the
+ * log (the current checkpoint is not allowed to overwrite the previous
+ * checkpoint), but commit latency and memory usage limit this to a smaller
+ * size.
+ */
+static void
+xlog_cil_push_background(
+	struct log	*log)
+{
+	struct xfs_cil	*cil = log->l_cilp;
+
+	/*
+	 * The cil won't be empty because we are called while holding the
+	 * context lock so whatever we added to the CIL will still be there
+	 */
+	ASSERT(!list_empty(&cil->xc_cil));
+
+	/*
+	 * don't do a background push if we haven't used up all the
+	 * space available yet.
+	 */
+	if (cil->xc_ctx->space_used < XLOG_CIL_SPACE_LIMIT(log))
+		return;
+
+	spin_lock(&cil->xc_cil_lock);
+	if (cil->xc_push_seq < cil->xc_current_sequence) {
+		cil->xc_push_seq = cil->xc_current_sequence;
+		queue_work(log->l_mp->m_cil_workqueue, &cil->xc_push_work);
+	}
+	spin_unlock(&cil->xc_cil_lock);
+
+}
+
+static void
+xlog_cil_push_foreground(
+	struct log	*log,
+	xfs_lsn_t	push_seq)
+{
+	struct xfs_cil	*cil = log->l_cilp;
+
+	if (!cil)
+		return;
+
+	ASSERT(push_seq && push_seq <= cil->xc_current_sequence);
+
+	/* start on any pending background push to minimise wait time on it */
+	flush_work(&cil->xc_push_work);
+
+	/*
+	 * If the CIL is empty or we've already pushed the sequence then
+	 * there's no work we need to do.
+	 */
+	spin_lock(&cil->xc_cil_lock);
+	if (list_empty(&cil->xc_cil) || push_seq <= cil->xc_push_seq) {
+		spin_unlock(&cil->xc_cil_lock);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	cil->xc_push_seq = push_seq;
+	spin_unlock(&cil->xc_cil_lock);
+
+	/* do the push now */
+	xlog_cil_push(log);
+}
+
 /*
  * Commit a transaction with the given vector to the Committed Item List.
  *
@@ -667,7 +686,6 @@ xfs_log_commit_cil(
 {
 	struct log		*log = mp->m_log;
 	int			log_flags = 0;
-	int			push = 0;
 	struct xfs_log_vec	*log_vector;
 
 	if (flags & XFS_TRANS_RELEASE_LOG_RES)
@@ -719,21 +737,9 @@ xfs_log_commit_cil(
 	 */
 	xfs_trans_free_items(tp, *commit_lsn, 0);
 
-	/* check for background commit before unlock */
-	if (log->l_cilp->xc_ctx->space_used > XLOG_CIL_SPACE_LIMIT(log))
-		push = 1;
+	xlog_cil_push_background(log);
 
 	up_read(&log->l_cilp->xc_ctx_lock);
-
-	/*
-	 * We need to push CIL every so often so we don't cache more than we
-	 * can fit in the log. The limit really is that a checkpoint can't be
-	 * more than half the log (the current checkpoint is not allowed to
-	 * overwrite the previous checkpoint), but commit latency and memory
-	 * usage limit this to a smaller size in most cases.
-	 */
-	if (push)
-		xlog_cil_push(log, 0);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -746,9 +752,6 @@ xfs_log_commit_cil(
  *
  * We return the current commit lsn to allow the callers to determine if a
  * iclog flush is necessary following this call.
- *
- * XXX: Initially, just push the CIL unconditionally and return whatever
- * commit lsn is there. It'll be empty, so this is broken for now.
  */
 xfs_lsn_t
 xlog_cil_force_lsn(
@@ -766,8 +769,7 @@ xlog_cil_force_lsn(
 	 * xlog_cil_push() handles racing pushes for the same sequence,
 	 * so no need to deal with it here.
 	 */
-	if (sequence == cil->xc_current_sequence)
-		xlog_cil_push(log, sequence);
+	xlog_cil_push_foreground(log, sequence);
 
 	/*
 	 * See if we can find a previous sequence still committing.
@@ -826,3 +828,57 @@ xfs_log_item_in_current_chkpt(
 		return false;
 	return true;
 }
+
+/*
+ * Perform initial CIL structure initialisation.
+ */
+int
+xlog_cil_init(
+	struct log	*log)
+{
+	struct xfs_cil	*cil;
+	struct xfs_cil_ctx *ctx;
+
+	cil = kmem_zalloc(sizeof(*cil), KM_SLEEP|KM_MAYFAIL);
+	if (!cil)
+		return ENOMEM;
+
+	ctx = kmem_zalloc(sizeof(*ctx), KM_SLEEP|KM_MAYFAIL);
+	if (!ctx) {
+		kmem_free(cil);
+		return ENOMEM;
+	}
+
+	INIT_WORK(&cil->xc_push_work, xlog_cil_push_work);
+	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&cil->xc_cil);
+	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&cil->xc_committing);
+	spin_lock_init(&cil->xc_cil_lock);
+	init_rwsem(&cil->xc_ctx_lock);
+	init_waitqueue_head(&cil->xc_commit_wait);
+
+	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ctx->committing);
+	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ctx->busy_extents);
+	ctx->sequence = 1;
+	ctx->cil = cil;
+	cil->xc_ctx = ctx;
+	cil->xc_current_sequence = ctx->sequence;
+
+	cil->xc_log = log;
+	log->l_cilp = cil;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+void
+xlog_cil_destroy(
+	struct log	*log)
+{
+	if (log->l_cilp->xc_ctx) {
+		if (log->l_cilp->xc_ctx->ticket)
+			xfs_log_ticket_put(log->l_cilp->xc_ctx->ticket);
+		kmem_free(log->l_cilp->xc_ctx);
+	}
+
+	ASSERT(list_empty(&log->l_cilp->xc_cil));
+	kmem_free(log->l_cilp);
+}
+
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_log_priv.h b/fs/xfs/xfs_log_priv.h
index 2152900b79d4..735ff1ee53da 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_log_priv.h
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_log_priv.h
@@ -417,6 +417,8 @@ struct xfs_cil {
 	struct list_head	xc_committing;
 	wait_queue_head_t	xc_commit_wait;
 	xfs_lsn_t		xc_current_sequence;
+	struct work_struct	xc_push_work;
+	xfs_lsn_t		xc_push_seq;
 };
 
 /*
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_mount.h b/fs/xfs/xfs_mount.h
index 19fd5eda92b8..8b89c5ac72d9 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_mount.h
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_mount.h
@@ -214,6 +214,7 @@ typedef struct xfs_mount {
 
 	struct workqueue_struct	*m_data_workqueue;
 	struct workqueue_struct	*m_unwritten_workqueue;
+	struct workqueue_struct	*m_cil_workqueue;
 } xfs_mount_t;
 
 /*
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_super.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_super.c
index fa07b7731cf2..49197e24d8db 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_super.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_super.c
@@ -773,8 +773,14 @@ xfs_init_mount_workqueues(
 	if (!mp->m_unwritten_workqueue)
 		goto out_destroy_data_iodone_queue;
 
+	mp->m_cil_workqueue = alloc_workqueue("xfs-cil/%s",
+			WQ_MEM_RECLAIM, 0, mp->m_fsname);
+	if (!mp->m_cil_workqueue)
+		goto out_destroy_unwritten;
 	return 0;
 
+out_destroy_unwritten:
+	destroy_workqueue(mp->m_unwritten_workqueue);
 out_destroy_data_iodone_queue:
 	destroy_workqueue(mp->m_data_workqueue);
 out:
@@ -785,6 +791,7 @@ STATIC void
 xfs_destroy_mount_workqueues(
 	struct xfs_mount	*mp)
 {
+	destroy_workqueue(mp->m_cil_workqueue);
 	destroy_workqueue(mp->m_data_workqueue);
 	destroy_workqueue(mp->m_unwritten_workqueue);
 }