diff --git a/sys/boot/zfs/libzfs.h b/sys/boot/zfs/libzfs.h
index 58bfd266685b..0ce0a9c7f69b 100644
--- a/sys/boot/zfs/libzfs.h
+++ b/sys/boot/zfs/libzfs.h
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ int	zfs_probe_dev(const char *devname, uint64_t *pool_guid);
 int	zfs_list(const char *name);
 void	init_zfs_bootenv(char *currdev);
 int	zfs_bootenv(const char *name);
-int	zfs_belist_add(const char *name);
+int	zfs_belist_add(const char *name, uint64_t __unused);
 int	zfs_set_env(void);
 
 extern struct devsw zfs_dev;
diff --git a/sys/boot/zfs/zfs.c b/sys/boot/zfs/zfs.c
index 229bcac3c3a4..2552e09cdf20 100644
--- a/sys/boot/zfs/zfs.c
+++ b/sys/boot/zfs/zfs.c
@@ -801,7 +801,7 @@ zfs_bootenv(const char *name)
 }
 
 int
-zfs_belist_add(const char *name)
+zfs_belist_add(const char *name, uint64_t value __unused)
 {
 
 	/* Skip special datasets that start with a $ character */
diff --git a/sys/boot/zfs/zfsimpl.c b/sys/boot/zfs/zfsimpl.c
index aa1a789b6c33..73fe0b64b8f5 100644
--- a/sys/boot/zfs/zfsimpl.c
+++ b/sys/boot/zfs/zfsimpl.c
@@ -1473,12 +1473,12 @@ zap_lookup(const spa_t *spa, const dnode_phys_t *dnode, const char *name, uint64
  * the directory contents.
  */
 static int
-mzap_list(const dnode_phys_t *dnode, int (*callback)(const char *))
+mzap_list(const dnode_phys_t *dnode, int (*callback)(const char *, uint64_t))
 {
 	const mzap_phys_t *mz;
 	const mzap_ent_phys_t *mze;
 	size_t size;
-	int chunks, i;
+	int chunks, i, rc;
 
 	/*
 	 * Microzap objects use exactly one block. Read the whole
@@ -1490,9 +1490,11 @@ mzap_list(const dnode_phys_t *dnode, int (*callback)(const char *))
 
 	for (i = 0; i < chunks; i++) {
 		mze = &mz->mz_chunk[i];
-		if (mze->mze_name[0])
-			//printf("%-32s 0x%jx\n", mze->mze_name, (uintmax_t)mze->mze_value);
-			callback(mze->mze_name);
+		if (mze->mze_name[0]) {
+			rc = callback(mze->mze_name, mze->mze_value);
+			if (rc != 0)
+				return (rc);
+		}
 	}
 
 	return (0);
@@ -1503,12 +1505,12 @@ mzap_list(const dnode_phys_t *dnode, int (*callback)(const char *))
  * the directory header.
  */
 static int
-fzap_list(const spa_t *spa, const dnode_phys_t *dnode, int (*callback)(const char *))
+fzap_list(const spa_t *spa, const dnode_phys_t *dnode, int (*callback)(const char *, uint64_t))
 {
 	int bsize = dnode->dn_datablkszsec << SPA_MINBLOCKSHIFT;
 	zap_phys_t zh = *(zap_phys_t *) zap_scratch;
 	fat_zap_t z;
-	int i, j;
+	int i, j, rc;
 
 	if (zh.zap_magic != ZAP_MAGIC)
 		return (EIO);
@@ -1566,14 +1568,16 @@ fzap_list(const spa_t *spa, const dnode_phys_t *dnode, int (*callback)(const cha
 			value = fzap_leaf_value(&zl, zc);
 
 			//printf("%s 0x%jx\n", name, (uintmax_t)value);
-			callback((const char *)name);
+			rc = callback((const char *)name, value);
+			if (rc != 0)
+				return (rc);
 		}
 	}
 
 	return (0);
 }
 
-static int zfs_printf(const char *name)
+static int zfs_printf(const char *name, uint64_t value __unused)
 {
 
 	printf("%s\n", name);
@@ -1868,7 +1872,7 @@ zfs_list_dataset(const spa_t *spa, uint64_t objnum/*, int pos, char *entry*/)
 }
 
 int
-zfs_callback_dataset(const spa_t *spa, uint64_t objnum, int (*callback)(const char *name))
+zfs_callback_dataset(const spa_t *spa, uint64_t objnum, int (*callback)(const char *, uint64_t))
 {
 	uint64_t dir_obj, child_dir_zapobj, zap_type;
 	dnode_phys_t child_dir_zap, dir, dataset;
@@ -2008,9 +2012,67 @@ zfs_mount(const spa_t *spa, uint64_t rootobj, struct zfsmount *mount)
 	return (0);
 }
 
+/*
+ * callback function for feature name checks.
+ */
+static int
+check_feature(const char *name, uint64_t value)
+{
+	int i;
+
+	if (value == 0)
+		return (0);
+	if (name[0] == '\0')
+		return (0);
+
+	for (i = 0; features_for_read[i] != NULL; i++) {
+		if (strcmp(name, features_for_read[i]) == 0)
+			return (0);
+	}
+	printf("ZFS: unsupported feature: %s\n", name);
+	return (EIO);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Checks whether the MOS features that are active are supported.
+ */
+static int
+check_mos_features(const spa_t *spa)
+{
+	dnode_phys_t dir;
+	uint64_t objnum, zap_type;
+	size_t size;
+	int rc;
+
+	if ((rc = objset_get_dnode(spa, &spa->spa_mos, DMU_OT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY,
+	    &dir)) != 0)
+		return (rc);
+	if ((rc = zap_lookup(spa, &dir, DMU_POOL_FEATURES_FOR_READ, &objnum)) != 0)
+		return (rc);
+
+	if ((rc = objset_get_dnode(spa, &spa->spa_mos, objnum, &dir)) != 0)
+		return (rc);
+
+	if (dir.dn_type != DMU_OTN_ZAP_METADATA)
+		return (EIO);
+
+	size = dir.dn_datablkszsec * 512;
+	if (dnode_read(spa, &dir, 0, zap_scratch, size))
+		return (EIO);
+
+	zap_type = *(uint64_t *) zap_scratch;
+	if (zap_type == ZBT_MICRO)
+		rc = mzap_list(&dir, check_feature);
+	else
+		rc = fzap_list(spa, &dir, check_feature);
+
+	return (rc);
+}
+
 static int
 zfs_spa_init(spa_t *spa)
 {
+	int rc;
 
 	if (zio_read(spa, &spa->spa_uberblock.ub_rootbp, &spa->spa_mos)) {
 		printf("ZFS: can't read MOS of pool %s\n", spa->spa_name);
@@ -2020,7 +2082,13 @@ zfs_spa_init(spa_t *spa)
 		printf("ZFS: corrupted MOS of pool %s\n", spa->spa_name);
 		return (EIO);
 	}
-	return (0);
+
+	rc = check_mos_features(spa);
+	if (rc != 0) {
+		printf("ZFS: pool %s is not supported\n", spa->spa_name);
+	}
+
+	return (rc);
 }
 
 static int
diff --git a/sys/cddl/boot/zfs/zfsimpl.h b/sys/cddl/boot/zfs/zfsimpl.h
index 730cdf49a0dd..a18c2b0bbffa 100644
--- a/sys/cddl/boot/zfs/zfsimpl.h
+++ b/sys/cddl/boot/zfs/zfsimpl.h
@@ -63,6 +63,8 @@
 
 #define _NOTE(s)
 
+typedef enum { B_FALSE, B_TRUE } boolean_t;
+
 /* CRC64 table */
 #define	ZFS_CRC64_POLY	0xC96C5795D7870F42ULL	/* ECMA-182, reflected form */
 
@@ -899,6 +901,41 @@ typedef struct dnode_phys {
 	blkptr_t dn_spill;
 } dnode_phys_t;
 
+typedef enum dmu_object_byteswap {
+	DMU_BSWAP_UINT8,
+	DMU_BSWAP_UINT16,
+	DMU_BSWAP_UINT32,
+	DMU_BSWAP_UINT64,
+	DMU_BSWAP_ZAP,
+	DMU_BSWAP_DNODE,
+	DMU_BSWAP_OBJSET,
+	DMU_BSWAP_ZNODE,
+	DMU_BSWAP_OLDACL,
+	DMU_BSWAP_ACL,
+	/*
+	 * Allocating a new byteswap type number makes the on-disk format
+	 * incompatible with any other format that uses the same number.
+	 *
+	 * Data can usually be structured to work with one of the
+	 * DMU_BSWAP_UINT* or DMU_BSWAP_ZAP types.
+	 */
+	DMU_BSWAP_NUMFUNCS
+} dmu_object_byteswap_t;
+
+#define	DMU_OT_NEWTYPE 0x80
+#define	DMU_OT_METADATA 0x40
+#define	DMU_OT_BYTESWAP_MASK 0x3f
+
+/*
+ * Defines a uint8_t object type. Object types specify if the data
+ * in the object is metadata (boolean) and how to byteswap the data
+ * (dmu_object_byteswap_t).
+ */
+#define	DMU_OT(byteswap, metadata) \
+	(DMU_OT_NEWTYPE | \
+	((metadata) ? DMU_OT_METADATA : 0) | \
+	((byteswap) & DMU_OT_BYTESWAP_MASK))
+
 typedef enum dmu_object_type {
 	DMU_OT_NONE,
 	/* general: */
@@ -959,7 +996,21 @@ typedef enum dmu_object_type {
 	DMU_OT_SA_ATTR_LAYOUTS,		/* ZAP */
 	DMU_OT_SCAN_XLATE,		/* ZAP */
 	DMU_OT_DEDUP,			/* fake dedup BP from ddt_bp_create() */
-	DMU_OT_NUMTYPES
+	DMU_OT_NUMTYPES,
+
+	/*
+	 * Names for valid types declared with DMU_OT().
+	 */
+	DMU_OTN_UINT8_DATA = DMU_OT(DMU_BSWAP_UINT8, B_FALSE),
+	DMU_OTN_UINT8_METADATA = DMU_OT(DMU_BSWAP_UINT8, B_TRUE),
+	DMU_OTN_UINT16_DATA = DMU_OT(DMU_BSWAP_UINT16, B_FALSE),
+	DMU_OTN_UINT16_METADATA = DMU_OT(DMU_BSWAP_UINT16, B_TRUE),
+	DMU_OTN_UINT32_DATA = DMU_OT(DMU_BSWAP_UINT32, B_FALSE),
+	DMU_OTN_UINT32_METADATA = DMU_OT(DMU_BSWAP_UINT32, B_TRUE),
+	DMU_OTN_UINT64_DATA = DMU_OT(DMU_BSWAP_UINT64, B_FALSE),
+	DMU_OTN_UINT64_METADATA = DMU_OT(DMU_BSWAP_UINT64, B_TRUE),
+	DMU_OTN_ZAP_DATA = DMU_OT(DMU_BSWAP_ZAP, B_FALSE),
+	DMU_OTN_ZAP_METADATA = DMU_OT(DMU_BSWAP_ZAP, B_TRUE)
 } dmu_object_type_t;
 
 typedef enum dmu_objset_type {
@@ -1097,6 +1148,7 @@ typedef struct dsl_dataset_phys {
  */
 #define	DMU_POOL_DIRECTORY_OBJECT	1
 #define	DMU_POOL_CONFIG			"config"
+#define	DMU_POOL_FEATURES_FOR_READ	"features_for_read"
 #define	DMU_POOL_ROOT_DATASET		"root_dataset"
 #define	DMU_POOL_SYNC_BPLIST		"sync_bplist"
 #define	DMU_POOL_ERRLOG_SCRUB		"errlog_scrub"