diff --git a/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c b/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c
index 3057791..c5a195a 100644
--- a/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c
+++ b/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c
@@ -425,6 +425,7 @@ testpmd_mbuf_ctor(struct rte_mempool *mp,
 	mb->tx_offload   = 0;
 	mb->vlan_tci     = 0;
 	mb->hash.rss     = 0;
+	mb->priv_size    = 0;
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/examples/vhost/main.c b/examples/vhost/main.c
index c3fcb80..050f3ac 100644
--- a/examples/vhost/main.c
+++ b/examples/vhost/main.c
@@ -139,8 +139,6 @@
 /* Number of descriptors per cacheline. */
 #define DESC_PER_CACHELINE (RTE_CACHE_LINE_SIZE / sizeof(struct vring_desc))
 
-#define MBUF_EXT_MEM(mb)   (RTE_MBUF_FROM_BADDR((mb)->buf_addr) != (mb))
-
 /* mask of enabled ports */
 static uint32_t enabled_port_mask = 0;
 
@@ -1590,7 +1588,7 @@ txmbuf_clean_zcp(struct virtio_net *dev, struct vpool *vpool)
 
 	for (index = 0; index < mbuf_count; index++) {
 		mbuf = __rte_mbuf_raw_alloc(vpool->pool);
-		if (likely(MBUF_EXT_MEM(mbuf)))
+		if (likely(RTE_MBUF_INDIRECT(mbuf)))
 			pktmbuf_detach_zcp(mbuf);
 		rte_ring_sp_enqueue(vpool->ring, mbuf);
 
@@ -1653,7 +1651,7 @@ static void mbuf_destroy_zcp(struct vpool *vpool)
 	for (index = 0; index < mbuf_count; index++) {
 		mbuf = __rte_mbuf_raw_alloc(vpool->pool);
 		if (likely(mbuf != NULL)) {
-			if (likely(MBUF_EXT_MEM(mbuf)))
+			if (likely(RTE_MBUF_INDIRECT(mbuf)))
 				pktmbuf_detach_zcp(mbuf);
 			rte_ring_sp_enqueue(vpool->ring, (void *)mbuf);
 		}
diff --git a/lib/librte_mbuf/rte_mbuf.c b/lib/librte_mbuf/rte_mbuf.c
index 526b18d..e095999 100644
--- a/lib/librte_mbuf/rte_mbuf.c
+++ b/lib/librte_mbuf/rte_mbuf.c
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ rte_pktmbuf_init(struct rte_mempool *mp,
 	m->pool = mp;
 	m->nb_segs = 1;
 	m->port = 0xff;
+	m->priv_size = 0;
 }
 
 /* do some sanity checks on a mbuf: panic if it fails */
diff --git a/lib/librte_mbuf/rte_mbuf.h b/lib/librte_mbuf/rte_mbuf.h
index 17ba791..4ced6d3 100644
--- a/lib/librte_mbuf/rte_mbuf.h
+++ b/lib/librte_mbuf/rte_mbuf.h
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ struct rte_mbuf {
 	uint16_t data_len;        /**< Amount of data in segment buffer. */
 	uint32_t pkt_len;         /**< Total pkt len: sum of all segments. */
 	uint16_t vlan_tci;        /**< VLAN Tag Control Identifier (CPU order) */
-	uint16_t reserved;
+	uint16_t priv_size;       /**< size of the application private data */
 	union {
 		uint32_t rss;     /**< RSS hash result if RSS enabled */
 		struct {
@@ -320,15 +320,38 @@ struct rte_mbuf {
 } __rte_cache_aligned;
 
 /**
- * Given the buf_addr returns the pointer to corresponding mbuf.
+ * Return the mbuf owning the given data buffer address.
+ *
+ * @param mi
+ *   The pointer to the indirect mbuf.
+ * @param buffer_addr
+ *   The address of the data buffer of the direct mbuf.
+ * @return
+ *   The address of the direct mbuf corresponding to buffer_addr.
  */
-#define RTE_MBUF_FROM_BADDR(ba)     (((struct rte_mbuf *)(ba)) - 1)
+static inline struct rte_mbuf *
+rte_mbuf_from_baddr(struct rte_mbuf *mi, char *buffer_addr)
+{
+       struct rte_mbuf *md;
+       md = (struct rte_mbuf *)(buffer_addr - sizeof(*mi) - mi->priv_size);
+       return md;
+}
 
 /**
- * Given the pointer to mbuf returns an address where it's  buf_addr
- * should point to.
+ * Return the buffer address embedded in the given mbuf.
+ *
+ * @param md
+ *   The pointer to the mbuf.
+ * @return
+ *   The address of the data buffer owned by the mbuf.
  */
-#define RTE_MBUF_TO_BADDR(mb)       (((struct rte_mbuf *)(mb)) + 1)
+static inline char *
+rte_mbuf_to_baddr(struct rte_mbuf *md)
+{
+       char *buffer_addr;
+       buffer_addr = (char *)md + sizeof(*md) + md->priv_size;
+       return buffer_addr;
+}
 
 /**
  * Returns TRUE if given mbuf is indirect, or FALSE otherwise.
@@ -744,9 +767,11 @@ static inline void rte_pktmbuf_attach(struct rte_mbuf *mi, struct rte_mbuf *md)
 static inline void rte_pktmbuf_detach(struct rte_mbuf *m)
 {
 	const struct rte_mempool *mp = m->pool;
-	void *buf = RTE_MBUF_TO_BADDR(m);
+	void *buf = rte_mbuf_to_baddr(m);
 	uint32_t buf_len = mp->elt_size - sizeof(*m);
-	m->buf_physaddr = rte_mempool_virt2phy(mp, m) + sizeof (*m);
+
+	m->buf_physaddr = rte_mempool_virt2phy(mp, m) + sizeof (*m) +
+		m->priv_size;
 
 	m->buf_addr = buf;
 	m->buf_len = (uint16_t)buf_len;
@@ -774,7 +799,8 @@ __rte_pktmbuf_prefree_seg(struct rte_mbuf *m)
 		 *  - free attached mbuf segment
 		 */
 		if (RTE_MBUF_INDIRECT(m)) {
-			struct rte_mbuf *md = RTE_MBUF_FROM_BADDR(m->buf_addr);
+			struct rte_mbuf *md =
+				rte_mbuf_from_baddr(m, (char *)m->buf_addr);
 			rte_pktmbuf_detach(m);
 			if (rte_mbuf_refcnt_update(md, -1) == 0)
 				__rte_mbuf_raw_free(md);
