diff --git a/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_alloc.c b/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_alloc.c
index c918cd74f65a..c384064befbb 100644
--- a/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_alloc.c
+++ b/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_alloc.c
@@ -112,8 +112,7 @@ static void	ffs_blkfree_trim_task(void *ctx, int pending __unused);
 #ifdef INVARIANTS
 static int	ffs_checkblk(struct inode *, ufs2_daddr_t, long);
 #endif
-static ufs2_daddr_t ffs_clusteralloc(struct inode *, u_int, ufs2_daddr_t, int,
-		    int);
+static ufs2_daddr_t ffs_clusteralloc(struct inode *, u_int, ufs2_daddr_t, int);
 static ino_t	ffs_dirpref(struct inode *);
 static ufs2_daddr_t ffs_fragextend(struct inode *, u_int, ufs2_daddr_t,
 		    int, int);
@@ -460,10 +459,16 @@ nospace:
 SYSCTL_NODE(_vfs, OID_AUTO, ffs, CTLFLAG_RW, 0, "FFS filesystem");
 
 static int doasyncfree = 1;
-SYSCTL_INT(_vfs_ffs, OID_AUTO, doasyncfree, CTLFLAG_RW, &doasyncfree, 0, "");
+SYSCTL_INT(_vfs_ffs, OID_AUTO, doasyncfree, CTLFLAG_RW, &doasyncfree, 0,
+"do not force synchronous writes when blocks are reallocated");
 
 static int doreallocblks = 1;
-SYSCTL_INT(_vfs_ffs, OID_AUTO, doreallocblks, CTLFLAG_RW, &doreallocblks, 0, "");
+SYSCTL_INT(_vfs_ffs, OID_AUTO, doreallocblks, CTLFLAG_RW, &doreallocblks, 0,
+"enable block reallocation");
+
+static int maxclustersearch = 10;
+SYSCTL_INT(_vfs_ffs, OID_AUTO, maxclustersearch, CTLFLAG_RW, &maxclustersearch,
+0, "max number of cylinder group to search for contigous blocks");
 
 #ifdef DEBUG
 static volatile int prtrealloc = 0;
@@ -510,7 +515,7 @@ ffs_reallocblks_ufs1(ap)
 	ufs1_daddr_t soff, newblk, blkno;
 	ufs2_daddr_t pref;
 	struct indir start_ap[NIADDR + 1], end_ap[NIADDR + 1], *idp;
-	int i, len, start_lvl, end_lvl, ssize;
+	int i, cg, len, start_lvl, end_lvl, ssize;
 
 	vp = ap->a_vp;
 	ip = VTOI(vp);
@@ -597,18 +602,39 @@ ffs_reallocblks_ufs1(ap)
 		ebap = (ufs1_daddr_t *)ebp->b_data;
 	}
 	/*
-	 * Find the preferred location for the cluster.
+	 * Find the preferred location for the cluster. If we have not
+	 * previously failed at this endeavor, then follow our standard
+	 * preference calculation. If we have failed at it, then pick up
+	 * where we last ended our search.
 	 */
 	UFS_LOCK(ump);
-	pref = ffs_blkpref_ufs1(ip, start_lbn, soff, sbap);
+	if (ip->i_nextclustercg == -1)
+		pref = ffs_blkpref_ufs1(ip, start_lbn, soff, sbap);
+	else
+		pref = cgdata(fs, ip->i_nextclustercg);
 	/*
 	 * Search the block map looking for an allocation of the desired size.
+	 * To avoid wasting too much time, we limit the number of cylinder
+	 * groups that we will search.
 	 */
-	if ((newblk = ffs_hashalloc(ip, dtog(fs, pref), pref,
-	    len, len, ffs_clusteralloc)) == 0) {
+	cg = dtog(fs, pref);
+	for (i = min(maxclustersearch, fs->fs_ncg); i > 0; i--) {
+		if ((newblk = ffs_clusteralloc(ip, cg, pref, len)) != 0)
+			break;
+		cg += 1;
+		if (cg >= fs->fs_ncg)
+			cg = 0;
+	}
+	/*
+	 * If we have failed in our search, record where we gave up for
+	 * next time. Otherwise, fall back to our usual search citerion.
+	 */
+	if (newblk == 0) {
+		ip->i_nextclustercg = cg;
 		UFS_UNLOCK(ump);
 		goto fail;
 	}
+	ip->i_nextclustercg = -1;
 	/*
 	 * We have found a new contiguous block.
 	 *
@@ -737,7 +763,7 @@ ffs_reallocblks_ufs2(ap)
 	ufs_lbn_t start_lbn, end_lbn;
 	ufs2_daddr_t soff, newblk, blkno, pref;
 	struct indir start_ap[NIADDR + 1], end_ap[NIADDR + 1], *idp;
-	int i, len, start_lvl, end_lvl, ssize;
+	int i, cg, len, start_lvl, end_lvl, ssize;
 
 	vp = ap->a_vp;
 	ip = VTOI(vp);
@@ -824,18 +850,39 @@ ffs_reallocblks_ufs2(ap)
 		ebap = (ufs2_daddr_t *)ebp->b_data;
 	}
 	/*
-	 * Find the preferred location for the cluster.
+	 * Find the preferred location for the cluster. If we have not
+	 * previously failed at this endeavor, then follow our standard
+	 * preference calculation. If we have failed at it, then pick up
+	 * where we last ended our search.
 	 */
 	UFS_LOCK(ump);
-	pref = ffs_blkpref_ufs2(ip, start_lbn, soff, sbap);
+	if (ip->i_nextclustercg == -1)
+		pref = ffs_blkpref_ufs2(ip, start_lbn, soff, sbap);
+	else
+		pref = cgdata(fs, ip->i_nextclustercg);
 	/*
 	 * Search the block map looking for an allocation of the desired size.
+	 * To avoid wasting too much time, we limit the number of cylinder
+	 * groups that we will search.
 	 */
-	if ((newblk = ffs_hashalloc(ip, dtog(fs, pref), pref,
-	    len, len, ffs_clusteralloc)) == 0) {
+	cg = dtog(fs, pref);
+	for (i = min(maxclustersearch, fs->fs_ncg); i > 0; i--) {
+		if ((newblk = ffs_clusteralloc(ip, cg, pref, len)) != 0)
+			break;
+		cg += 1;
+		if (cg >= fs->fs_ncg)
+			cg = 0;
+	}
+	/*
+	 * If we have failed in our search, record where we gave up for
+	 * next time. Otherwise, fall back to our usual search citerion.
+	 */
+	if (newblk == 0) {
+		ip->i_nextclustercg = cg;
 		UFS_UNLOCK(ump);
 		goto fail;
 	}
+	ip->i_nextclustercg = -1;
 	/*
 	 * We have found a new contiguous block.
 	 *
@@ -1786,12 +1833,11 @@ gotit:
  * take the first one that we find following bpref.
  */
 static ufs2_daddr_t
-ffs_clusteralloc(ip, cg, bpref, len, unused)
+ffs_clusteralloc(ip, cg, bpref, len)
 	struct inode *ip;
 	u_int cg;
 	ufs2_daddr_t bpref;
 	int len;
-	int unused;
 {
 	struct fs *fs;
 	struct cg *cgp;
diff --git a/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_vfsops.c b/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_vfsops.c
index 88f952f0cd4e..2a368bd980fb 100644
--- a/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_vfsops.c
+++ b/sys/ufs/ffs/ffs_vfsops.c
@@ -1688,6 +1688,7 @@ ffs_vgetf(mp, ino, flags, vpp, ffs_flags)
 	ip->i_dev = dev;
 	ip->i_number = ino;
 	ip->i_ea_refs = 0;
+	ip->i_nextclustercg = -1;
 #ifdef QUOTA
 	{
 		int i;
diff --git a/sys/ufs/ufs/inode.h b/sys/ufs/ufs/inode.h
index 37081d5fd261..cd7c47261534 100644
--- a/sys/ufs/ufs/inode.h
+++ b/sys/ufs/ufs/inode.h
@@ -87,6 +87,8 @@ struct inode {
 		daddr_t *snapblklist;    /* Collect expunged snapshot blocks. */
 	} i_un;
 
+	int	i_nextclustercg; /* last cg searched for cluster */
+
 	/*
 	 * Data for extended attribute modification.
  	 */