diff --git a/drivers/firmware/dell_rbu.c b/drivers/firmware/dell_rbu.c
index 125929c9048f..ba17292eb290 100644
--- a/drivers/firmware/dell_rbu.c
+++ b/drivers/firmware/dell_rbu.c
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
 MODULE_AUTHOR("Abhay Salunke <abhay_salunke@dell.com>");
 MODULE_DESCRIPTION("Driver for updating BIOS image on DELL systems");
 MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
-MODULE_VERSION("3.0");
+MODULE_VERSION("3.1");
 
 #define BIOS_SCAN_LIMIT 0xffffffff
 #define MAX_IMAGE_LENGTH 16
@@ -73,6 +73,11 @@ module_param_string(image_type, image_type, sizeof (image_type), 0);
 MODULE_PARM_DESC(image_type,
 	"BIOS image type. choose- mono or packet or init");
 
+static unsigned long allocation_floor = 0x100000;
+module_param(allocation_floor, ulong, 0644);
+MODULE_PARM_DESC(allocation_floor,
+    "Minimum address for allocations when using Packet mode");
+
 struct packet_data {
 	struct list_head list;
 	size_t length;
@@ -99,61 +104,122 @@ static int create_packet(void *data, size_t length)
 {
 	struct packet_data *newpacket;
 	int ordernum = 0;
+	int retval = 0;
+	unsigned int packet_array_size = 0;
+	void **invalid_addr_packet_array = 0;
+	void *packet_data_temp_buf = 0;
+	unsigned int idx = 0;
 
 	pr_debug("create_packet: entry \n");
 
 	if (!rbu_data.packetsize) {
 		pr_debug("create_packet: packetsize not specified\n");
-		return -EINVAL;
+		retval = -EINVAL;
+		goto out_noalloc;
 	}
+
 	spin_unlock(&rbu_data.lock);
-	newpacket = kmalloc(sizeof (struct packet_data), GFP_KERNEL);
-	spin_lock(&rbu_data.lock);
+
+	newpacket = kzalloc(sizeof (struct packet_data), GFP_KERNEL);
 
 	if (!newpacket) {
 		printk(KERN_WARNING
 			"dell_rbu:%s: failed to allocate new "
 			"packet\n", __FUNCTION__);
-		return -ENOMEM;
+		retval = -ENOMEM;
+		spin_lock(&rbu_data.lock);
+		goto out_noalloc;
 	}
 
 	ordernum = get_order(length);
+
 	/*
-	 * there is no upper limit on memory
-	 * address for packetized mechanism
+	 * BIOS errata mean we cannot allocate packets below 1MB or they will
+	 * be overwritten by BIOS.
+	 *
+	 * array to temporarily hold packets
+	 * that are below the allocation floor
+	 *
+	 * NOTE: very simplistic because we only need the floor to be at 1MB
+	 *       due to BIOS errata. This shouldn't be used for higher floors
+	 *       or you will run out of mem trying to allocate the array.
 	 */
-	spin_unlock(&rbu_data.lock);
-	newpacket->data = (unsigned char *) __get_free_pages(GFP_KERNEL,
-		ordernum);
-	spin_lock(&rbu_data.lock);
+	packet_array_size = max(
+	       		(unsigned int)(allocation_floor / rbu_data.packetsize),
+			(unsigned int)1);
+	invalid_addr_packet_array = kzalloc(packet_array_size * sizeof(void*),
+						GFP_KERNEL);
 
-	pr_debug("create_packet: newpacket %p\n", newpacket->data);
-
-	if (!newpacket->data) {
+	if (!invalid_addr_packet_array) {
 		printk(KERN_WARNING
-			"dell_rbu:%s: failed to allocate new "
-			"packet\n", __FUNCTION__);
-		kfree(newpacket);
-		return -ENOMEM;
+			"dell_rbu:%s: failed to allocate "
+			"invalid_addr_packet_array \n",
+			__FUNCTION__);
+		retval = -ENOMEM;
+		spin_lock(&rbu_data.lock);
+		goto out_alloc_packet;
 	}
 
+	while (!packet_data_temp_buf) {
+		packet_data_temp_buf = (unsigned char *)
+			__get_free_pages(GFP_KERNEL, ordernum);
+		if (!packet_data_temp_buf) {
+			printk(KERN_WARNING
+				"dell_rbu:%s: failed to allocate new "
+				"packet\n", __FUNCTION__);
+			retval = -ENOMEM;
+			spin_lock(&rbu_data.lock);
+			goto out_alloc_packet_array;
+		}
+
+		if ((unsigned long)virt_to_phys(packet_data_temp_buf)
+				< allocation_floor) {
+			pr_debug("packet 0x%lx below floor at 0x%lx.\n",
+					(unsigned long)virt_to_phys(
+						packet_data_temp_buf),
+					allocation_floor);
+			invalid_addr_packet_array[idx++] = packet_data_temp_buf;
+			packet_data_temp_buf = 0;
+		}
+	}
+	spin_lock(&rbu_data.lock);
+
+	newpacket->data = packet_data_temp_buf;
+
+	pr_debug("create_packet: newpacket at physical addr %lx\n",
+		(unsigned long)virt_to_phys(newpacket->data));
+
+	/* packets may not have fixed size */
+	newpacket->length = length;
 	newpacket->ordernum = ordernum;
 	++rbu_data.num_packets;
-	/*
-	 * initialize the newly created packet headers
-	 */
+
+	/* initialize the newly created packet headers */
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&newpacket->list);
 	list_add_tail(&newpacket->list, &packet_data_head.list);
-	/*
-	 * packets may not have fixed size
-	 */
-	newpacket->length = length;
 
 	memcpy(newpacket->data, data, length);
 
 	pr_debug("create_packet: exit \n");
 
-	return 0;
+out_alloc_packet_array:
+	/* always free packet array */
+	for (;idx>0;idx--) {
+		pr_debug("freeing unused packet below floor 0x%lx.\n",
+			(unsigned long)virt_to_phys(
+				invalid_addr_packet_array[idx-1]));
+		free_pages((unsigned long)invalid_addr_packet_array[idx-1],
+			ordernum);
+	}
+	kfree(invalid_addr_packet_array);
+
+out_alloc_packet:
+	/* if error, free data */
+	if (retval)
+		kfree(newpacket);
+
+out_noalloc:
+	return retval;
 }
 
 static int packetize_data(void *data, size_t length)
@@ -693,3 +759,6 @@ static __exit void dcdrbu_exit(void)
 
 module_exit(dcdrbu_exit);
 module_init(dcdrbu_init);
+
+/* vim:noet:ts=8:sw=8
+*/