diff --git a/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-4k.h b/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-4k.h
index c9601dfb4a1e..6b18ba9d2d85 100644
--- a/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-4k.h
+++ b/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-4k.h
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@
 #define _PAGE_GROUP_IX  0x7000 /* software: HPTE index within group */
 #define _PAGE_F_SECOND  _PAGE_SECONDARY
 #define _PAGE_F_GIX     _PAGE_GROUP_IX
+#define _PAGE_SPECIAL	0x10000 /* software: special page */
+#define __HAVE_ARCH_PTE_SPECIAL
 
 /* PTE flags to conserve for HPTE identification */
 #define _PAGE_HPTEFLAGS (_PAGE_BUSY | _PAGE_HASHPTE | \
diff --git a/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-64k.h b/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-64k.h
index 7e54adb35596..07b0d8f09cb6 100644
--- a/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-64k.h
+++ b/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-64k.h
@@ -70,6 +70,8 @@ static inline struct subpage_prot_table *pgd_subpage_prot(pgd_t *pgd)
 #define PGDIR_MASK	(~(PGDIR_SIZE-1))
 
 /* Additional PTE bits (don't change without checking asm in hash_low.S) */
+#define __HAVE_ARCH_PTE_SPECIAL
+#define _PAGE_SPECIAL	0x00000400 /* software: special page */
 #define _PAGE_HPTE_SUB	0x0ffff000 /* combo only: sub pages HPTE bits */
 #define _PAGE_HPTE_SUB0	0x08000000 /* combo only: first sub page */
 #define _PAGE_COMBO	0x10000000 /* this is a combo 4k page */
diff --git a/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-ppc64.h b/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-ppc64.h
index ba8000352b9a..5fc78c0be302 100644
--- a/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-ppc64.h
+++ b/include/asm-powerpc/pgtable-ppc64.h
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ static inline int pte_write(pte_t pte) { return pte_val(pte) & _PAGE_RW;}
 static inline int pte_dirty(pte_t pte) { return pte_val(pte) & _PAGE_DIRTY;}
 static inline int pte_young(pte_t pte) { return pte_val(pte) & _PAGE_ACCESSED;}
 static inline int pte_file(pte_t pte) { return pte_val(pte) & _PAGE_FILE;}
-static inline int pte_special(pte_t pte) { return 0; }
+static inline int pte_special(pte_t pte) { return pte_val(pte) & _PAGE_SPECIAL; }
 
 static inline void pte_uncache(pte_t pte) { pte_val(pte) |= _PAGE_NO_CACHE; }
 static inline void pte_cache(pte_t pte)   { pte_val(pte) &= ~_PAGE_NO_CACHE; }
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ static inline pte_t pte_mkyoung(pte_t pte) {
 static inline pte_t pte_mkhuge(pte_t pte) {
 	return pte; }
 static inline pte_t pte_mkspecial(pte_t pte) {
-	return pte; }
+	pte_val(pte) |= _PAGE_SPECIAL; return pte; }
 static inline unsigned long pte_pgprot(pte_t pte)
 {
 	return __pgprot(pte_val(pte)) & PAGE_PROT_BITS;