diff --git a/filelock.c b/filelock.c
index 18e8875ed942..678db03be99e 100644
--- a/filelock.c
+++ b/filelock.c
@@ -20,21 +20,59 @@ struct fio_filelock {
 	struct flist_head list;
 	unsigned int references;
 };
+
+#define MAX_FILELOCKS	128
 	
-static struct flist_head *filelock_list;
-static struct fio_mutex *filelock_lock;
+struct filelock_data {
+	struct flist_head list;
+	struct fio_mutex lock;
+
+	struct fio_filelock ffs[MAX_FILELOCKS];
+	struct flist_head free_list;
+};
+
+static struct filelock_data *fld;
+
+static void put_filelock(struct fio_filelock *ff)
+{
+	flist_add(&ff->list, &fld->free_list);
+}
+
+static struct fio_filelock *get_filelock(int trylock)
+{
+	if (!flist_empty(&fld->free_list)) {
+		struct fio_filelock *ff;
+
+		ff = flist_first_entry(&fld->free_list, struct fio_filelock, list);
+		flist_del_init(&ff->list);
+		return ff;
+	}
+
+	if (trylock)
+		return NULL;
+
+	log_err("fio: should wait...\n");
+	return NULL;
+}
 
 int fio_filelock_init(void)
 {
-	filelock_list = smalloc(sizeof(*filelock_list));
-	if (!filelock_list)
-		return 1;
+	int i;
 
-	INIT_FLIST_HEAD(filelock_list);
-	filelock_lock = fio_mutex_init(FIO_MUTEX_UNLOCKED);
-	if (!filelock_lock) {
-		sfree(filelock_list);
+	fld = smalloc(sizeof(*fld));
+	if (!fld)
 		return 1;
+
+	INIT_FLIST_HEAD(&fld->list);
+	INIT_FLIST_HEAD(&fld->free_list);
+
+	__fio_mutex_init(&fld->lock, FIO_MUTEX_UNLOCKED);
+
+	for (i = 0; i < MAX_FILELOCKS; i++) {
+		struct fio_filelock *ff = &fld->ffs[i];
+
+		__fio_mutex_init(&ff->lock, FIO_MUTEX_UNLOCKED);
+		flist_add_tail(&ff->list, &fld->free_list);
 	}
 
 	return 0;
@@ -42,14 +80,23 @@ int fio_filelock_init(void)
 
 void fio_filelock_exit(void)
 {
-	if (!filelock_list)
+	if (!fld)
 		return;
 
-	assert(flist_empty(filelock_list));
-	sfree(filelock_list);
-	filelock_list = NULL;
-	fio_mutex_remove(filelock_lock);
-	filelock_lock = NULL;
+	assert(flist_empty(&fld->list));
+	fio_mutex_remove(&fld->lock);
+
+	while (!flist_empty(&fld->free_list)) {
+		struct fio_filelock *ff;
+
+		ff = flist_first_entry(&fld->free_list, struct fio_filelock, list);
+
+		flist_del_init(&ff->list);
+		fio_mutex_remove(&ff->lock);
+	}
+
+	sfree(fld);
+	fld = NULL;
 }
 
 static struct fio_filelock *fio_hash_find(uint32_t hash)
@@ -57,7 +104,7 @@ static struct fio_filelock *fio_hash_find(uint32_t hash)
 	struct flist_head *entry;
 	struct fio_filelock *ff;
 
-	flist_for_each(entry, filelock_list) {
+	flist_for_each(entry, &fld->list) {
 		ff = flist_entry(entry, struct fio_filelock, list);
 		if (ff->hash == hash)
 			return ff;
@@ -72,32 +119,36 @@ static struct fio_filelock *fio_hash_get(uint32_t hash)
 
 	ff = fio_hash_find(hash);
 	if (!ff) {
-		ff = smalloc(sizeof(*ff));
+		ff = get_filelock(0);
 		ff->hash = hash;
-		__fio_mutex_init(&ff->lock, FIO_MUTEX_UNLOCKED);
 		ff->references = 0;
-		flist_add(&ff->list, filelock_list);
+		flist_add(&ff->list, &fld->list);
 	}
 
 	return ff;
 }
 
-int fio_trylock_file(const char *fname)
+static int __fio_lock_file(const char *fname, int trylock)
 {
 	struct fio_filelock *ff;
 	uint32_t hash;
 
 	hash = jhash(fname, strlen(fname), 0);
 
-	fio_mutex_down(filelock_lock);
+	fio_mutex_down(&fld->lock);
 	ff = fio_hash_get(hash);
 	ff->references++;
-	fio_mutex_up(filelock_lock);
+	fio_mutex_up(&fld->lock);
+
+	if (!trylock) {
+		fio_mutex_down(&ff->lock);
+		return 0;
+	}
 
 	if (!fio_mutex_down_trylock(&ff->lock))
 		return 0;
 
-	fio_mutex_down(filelock_lock);
+	fio_mutex_down(&fld->lock);
 
 	/*
 	 * If we raced and the only reference to the lock is us, we can
@@ -108,7 +159,7 @@ int fio_trylock_file(const char *fname)
 		ff = NULL;
 	}
 
-	fio_mutex_up(filelock_lock);
+	fio_mutex_up(&fld->lock);
 
 	if (ff) {
 		fio_mutex_down(&ff->lock);
@@ -118,19 +169,14 @@ int fio_trylock_file(const char *fname)
 	return 1;
 }
 
-void fio_lock_file(const char *fname)
+int fio_trylock_file(const char *fname)
 {
-	struct fio_filelock *ff;
-	uint32_t hash;
-
-	hash = jhash(fname, strlen(fname), 0);
-
-	fio_mutex_down(filelock_lock);
-	ff = fio_hash_get(hash);
-	ff->references++;
-	fio_mutex_up(filelock_lock);
+	return __fio_lock_file(fname, 1);
+}
 
-	fio_mutex_down(&ff->lock);
+void fio_lock_file(const char *fname)
+{
+	__fio_lock_file(fname, 0);
 }
 
 void fio_unlock_file(const char *fname)
@@ -140,19 +186,18 @@ void fio_unlock_file(const char *fname)
 
 	hash = jhash(fname, strlen(fname), 0);
 
-	fio_mutex_down(filelock_lock);
+	fio_mutex_down(&fld->lock);
 
 	ff = fio_hash_find(hash);
 	if (ff) {
 		int refs = --ff->references;
 		fio_mutex_up(&ff->lock);
 		if (!refs) {
-			flist_del(&ff->list);
-			__fio_mutex_remove(&ff->lock);
-			sfree(ff);
+			flist_del_init(&ff->list);
+			put_filelock(ff);
 		}
 	} else
 		log_err("fio: file not found for unlocking\n");
 
-	fio_mutex_up(filelock_lock);
+	fio_mutex_up(&fld->lock);
 }