diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_filesystem.h b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_filesystem.h
index ad059ef..0a82f89 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_filesystem.h
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_filesystem.h
@@ -115,6 +115,23 @@ eal_get_hugefile_path(char *buffer, size_t buflen, const char *hugedir, int f_id
 	return buffer;
 }
 
+/** String format for hugepage map lock files. */
+#define HUGEFILE_LOCK_FMT "%s/.%smap_%d.lock"
+
+static inline const char *
+eal_get_hugefile_lock_path(char *buffer, size_t buflen, int f_id)
+{
+	const char *directory = default_config_dir;
+	const char *home_dir = getenv("HOME");
+
+	if (getuid() != 0 && home_dir != NULL)
+		directory = home_dir;
+	snprintf(buffer, buflen - 1, HUGEFILE_LOCK_FMT, directory,
+			internal_config.hugefile_prefix, f_id);
+	buffer[buflen - 1] = '\0';
+	return buffer;
+}
+
 /** define the default filename prefix for the %s values above */
 #define HUGEFILE_PREFIX_DEFAULT "rte"
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_hugepage_info.c b/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_hugepage_info.c
index db5aabd..7eca711 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_hugepage_info.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_hugepage_info.c
@@ -237,18 +237,6 @@ get_hugepage_dir(uint64_t hugepage_sz, char *hugedir, int len)
 }
 
 /*
- * uses fstat to report the size of a file on disk
- */
-static off_t
-get_file_size(int fd)
-{
-	struct stat st;
-	if (fstat(fd, &st) < 0)
-		return 0;
-	return st.st_size;
-}
-
-/*
  * Clear the hugepage directory of whatever hugepage files
  * there are. Checks if the file is locked (i.e.
  * if it's in use by another DPDK process).
@@ -278,8 +266,6 @@ clear_hugedir(const char * hugedir)
 	}
 
 	while(dirent != NULL){
-		struct flock lck = {0};
-
 		/* skip files that don't match the hugepage pattern */
 		if (fnmatch(filter, dirent->d_name, 0) > 0) {
 			dirent = readdir(dir);
@@ -296,19 +282,11 @@ clear_hugedir(const char * hugedir)
 		}
 
 		/* non-blocking lock */
-		lck.l_type = F_RDLCK;
-		lck.l_whence = SEEK_SET;
-		lck.l_start = 0;
-		lck.l_len = get_file_size(fd);
+		lck_result = flock(fd, LOCK_EX | LOCK_NB);
 
-		lck_result = fcntl(fd, F_SETLK, &lck);
-
-		/* if lock succeeds, unlock and remove the file */
-		if (lck_result != -1) {
-			lck.l_type = F_UNLCK;
-			fcntl(fd, F_SETLK, &lck);
+		/* if lock succeeds, remove the file */
+		if (lck_result != -1)
 			unlinkat(dir_fd, dirent->d_name, 0);
-		}
 		close (fd);
 		dirent = readdir(dir);
 	}
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_memalloc.c b/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_memalloc.c
index 162306a..39e00c6 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_memalloc.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_memalloc.c
@@ -46,24 +46,25 @@
  */
 static int fallocate_supported = -1; /* unknown */
 
-/*
- * If each page is in a separate file, we can close fd's since we need each fd
- * only once. However, in single file segments mode, we can get away with using
- * a single fd for entire segments, but we need to store them somewhere. Each
- * fd is different within each process, so we'll store them in a local tailq.
+/* for single-file segments, we need some kind of mechanism to keep track of
+ * which hugepages can be freed back to the system, and which cannot. we cannot
+ * use flock() because they don't allow locking parts of a file, and we cannot
+ * use fcntl() due to issues with their semantics, so we will have to rely on a
+ * bunch of lockfiles for each page.
+ *
+ * we cannot know how many pages a system will have in advance, but we do know
+ * that they come in lists, and we know lengths of these lists. so, simply store
+ * a malloc'd array of fd's indexed by list and segment index.
+ *
+ * they will be initialized at startup, and filled as we allocate/deallocate
+ * segments. also, use this to track memseg list proper fd.
  */
-struct msl_entry {
-	TAILQ_ENTRY(msl_entry) next;
-	unsigned int msl_idx;
-	int fd;
-};
-
-/** Double linked list of memseg list fd's. */
-TAILQ_HEAD(msl_entry_list, msl_entry);
-
-static struct msl_entry_list msl_entry_list =
-		TAILQ_HEAD_INITIALIZER(msl_entry_list);
-static rte_spinlock_t tailq_lock = RTE_SPINLOCK_INITIALIZER;
+static struct {
+	int *fds; /**< dynamically allocated array of segment lock fd's */
+	int memseg_list_fd; /**< memseg list fd */
+	int len; /**< total length of the array */
+	int count; /**< entries used in an array */
+} lock_fds[RTE_MAX_MEMSEG_LISTS];
 
 /** local copy of a memory map, used to synchronize memory hotplug in MP */
 static struct rte_memseg_list local_memsegs[RTE_MAX_MEMSEG_LISTS];
@@ -158,35 +159,6 @@ resotre_numa(int *oldpolicy, struct bitmask *oldmask)
 }
 #endif
 
-static struct msl_entry *
-get_msl_entry_by_idx(unsigned int list_idx)
-{
-	struct msl_entry *te;
-
-	rte_spinlock_lock(&tailq_lock);
-
-	TAILQ_FOREACH(te, &msl_entry_list, next) {
-		if (te->msl_idx == list_idx)
-			break;
-	}
-	if (te == NULL) {
-		/* doesn't exist, so create it and set fd to -1 */
-
-		te = malloc(sizeof(*te));
-		if (te == NULL) {
-			RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): cannot allocate tailq entry for memseg list\n",
-				__func__);
-			goto unlock;
-		}
-		te->msl_idx = list_idx;
-		te->fd = -1;
-		TAILQ_INSERT_TAIL(&msl_entry_list, te, next);
-	}
-unlock:
-	rte_spinlock_unlock(&tailq_lock);
-	return te;
-}
-
 /*
  * uses fstat to report the size of a file on disk
  */
@@ -199,19 +171,6 @@ get_file_size(int fd)
 	return st.st_size;
 }
 
-/*
- * uses fstat to check if file size on disk is zero (regular fstat won't show
- * true file size due to how fallocate works)
- */
-static bool
-is_zero_length(int fd)
-{
-	struct stat st;
-	if (fstat(fd, &st) < 0)
-		return false;
-	return st.st_blocks == 0;
-}
-
 /* we cannot use rte_memseg_list_walk() here because we will be holding a
  * write lock whenever we enter every function in this file, however copying
  * the same iteration code everywhere is not ideal as well. so, use a lockless
@@ -238,6 +197,102 @@ memseg_list_walk_thread_unsafe(rte_memseg_list_walk_t func, void *arg)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/* returns 1 on successful lock, 0 on unsuccessful lock, -1 on error */
+static int lock(int fd, int type)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	/* flock may be interrupted */
+	do {
+		ret = flock(fd, type | LOCK_NB);
+	} while (ret && errno == EINTR);
+
+	if (ret && errno == EWOULDBLOCK) {
+		/* couldn't lock */
+		return 0;
+	} else if (ret) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): error calling flock(): %s\n",
+			__func__, strerror(errno));
+		return -1;
+	}
+	/* lock was successful */
+	return 1;
+}
+
+static int get_segment_lock_fd(int list_idx, int seg_idx)
+{
+	char path[PATH_MAX] = {0};
+	int fd;
+
+	if (list_idx < 0 || list_idx >= (int)RTE_DIM(lock_fds))
+		return -1;
+	if (seg_idx < 0 || seg_idx >= lock_fds[list_idx].len)
+		return -1;
+
+	fd = lock_fds[list_idx].fds[seg_idx];
+	/* does this lock already exist? */
+	if (fd >= 0)
+		return fd;
+
+	eal_get_hugefile_lock_path(path, sizeof(path),
+			list_idx * RTE_MAX_MEMSEG_PER_LIST + seg_idx);
+
+	fd = open(path, O_CREAT | O_RDWR, 0660);
+	if (fd < 0) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): error creating lockfile '%s': %s\n",
+			__func__, path, strerror(errno));
+		return -1;
+	}
+	/* take out a read lock */
+	if (lock(fd, LOCK_SH) != 1) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): failed to take out a readlock on '%s': %s\n",
+			__func__, path, strerror(errno));
+		close(fd);
+		return -1;
+	}
+	/* store it for future reference */
+	lock_fds[list_idx].fds[seg_idx] = fd;
+	lock_fds[list_idx].count++;
+	return fd;
+}
+
+static int unlock_segment(int list_idx, int seg_idx)
+{
+	int fd, ret;
+
+	if (list_idx < 0 || list_idx >= (int)RTE_DIM(lock_fds))
+		return -1;
+	if (seg_idx < 0 || seg_idx >= lock_fds[list_idx].len)
+		return -1;
+
+	fd = lock_fds[list_idx].fds[seg_idx];
+
+	/* upgrade lock to exclusive to see if we can remove the lockfile */
+	ret = lock(fd, LOCK_EX);
+	if (ret == 1) {
+		/* we've succeeded in taking exclusive lock, this lockfile may
+		 * be removed.
+		 */
+		char path[PATH_MAX] = {0};
+		eal_get_hugefile_lock_path(path, sizeof(path),
+				list_idx * RTE_MAX_MEMSEG_PER_LIST + seg_idx);
+		if (unlink(path)) {
+			RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): error removing lockfile '%s': %s\n",
+					__func__, path, strerror(errno));
+		}
+	}
+	/* we don't want to leak the fd, so even if we fail to lock, close fd
+	 * and remove it from list anyway.
+	 */
+	close(fd);
+	lock_fds[list_idx].fds[seg_idx] = -1;
+	lock_fds[list_idx].count--;
+
+	if (ret < 0)
+		return -1;
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static int
 get_seg_fd(char *path, int buflen, struct hugepage_info *hi,
 		unsigned int list_idx, unsigned int seg_idx)
@@ -245,31 +300,29 @@ get_seg_fd(char *path, int buflen, struct hugepage_info *hi,
 	int fd;
 
 	if (internal_config.single_file_segments) {
-		/*
-		 * try to find a tailq entry, for this memseg list, or create
-		 * one if it doesn't exist.
-		 */
-		struct msl_entry *te = get_msl_entry_by_idx(list_idx);
-		if (te == NULL) {
-			RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): cannot allocate tailq entry for memseg list\n",
-				__func__);
-			return -1;
-		} else if (te->fd < 0) {
-			/* create a hugepage file */
-			eal_get_hugefile_path(path, buflen, hi->hugedir,
-					list_idx);
+		/* create a hugepage file path */
+		eal_get_hugefile_path(path, buflen, hi->hugedir, list_idx);
+
+		fd = lock_fds[list_idx].memseg_list_fd;
+
+		if (fd < 0) {
 			fd = open(path, O_CREAT | O_RDWR, 0600);
 			if (fd < 0) {
-				RTE_LOG(DEBUG, EAL, "%s(): open failed: %s\n",
+				RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): open failed: %s\n",
 					__func__, strerror(errno));
 				return -1;
 			}
-			te->fd = fd;
-		} else {
-			fd = te->fd;
+			/* take out a read lock and keep it indefinitely */
+			if (lock(fd, LOCK_SH) < 0) {
+				RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): lock failed: %s\n",
+					__func__, strerror(errno));
+				close(fd);
+				return -1;
+			}
+			lock_fds[list_idx].memseg_list_fd = fd;
 		}
 	} else {
-		/* one file per page, just create it */
+		/* create a hugepage file path */
 		eal_get_hugefile_path(path, buflen, hi->hugedir,
 				list_idx * RTE_MAX_MEMSEG_PER_LIST + seg_idx);
 		fd = open(path, O_CREAT | O_RDWR, 0600);
@@ -278,48 +331,27 @@ get_seg_fd(char *path, int buflen, struct hugepage_info *hi,
 					strerror(errno));
 			return -1;
 		}
+		/* take out a read lock */
+		if (lock(fd, LOCK_SH) < 0) {
+			RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): lock failed: %s\n",
+				__func__, strerror(errno));
+			close(fd);
+			return -1;
+		}
 	}
 	return fd;
 }
 
-/* returns 1 on successful lock, 0 on unsuccessful lock, -1 on error */
-static int lock(int fd, uint64_t offset, uint64_t len, int type)
-{
-	struct flock lck;
-	int ret;
-
-	memset(&lck, 0, sizeof(lck));
-
-	lck.l_type = type;
-	lck.l_whence = SEEK_SET;
-	lck.l_start = offset;
-	lck.l_len = len;
-
-	ret = fcntl(fd, F_SETLK, &lck);
-
-	if (ret && (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EACCES)) {
-		/* locked by another process, not an error */
-		return 0;
-	} else if (ret) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): error calling fcntl(): %s\n",
-			__func__, strerror(errno));
-		/* we've encountered an unexpected error */
-		return -1;
-	}
-	return 1;
-}
-
 static int
-resize_hugefile(int fd, uint64_t fa_offset, uint64_t page_sz,
-		bool grow)
+resize_hugefile(int fd, char *path, int list_idx, int seg_idx,
+		uint64_t fa_offset, uint64_t page_sz, bool grow)
 {
 	bool again = false;
 	do {
 		if (fallocate_supported == 0) {
 			/* we cannot deallocate memory if fallocate() is not
-			 * supported, but locks are still needed to prevent
-			 * primary process' initialization from clearing out
-			 * huge pages used by this process.
+			 * supported, and hugepage file is already locked at
+			 * creation, so no further synchronization needed.
 			 */
 
 			if (!grow) {
@@ -337,13 +369,10 @@ resize_hugefile(int fd, uint64_t fa_offset, uint64_t page_sz,
 					__func__, strerror(errno));
 				return -1;
 			}
-			/* not being able to take out a read lock is an error */
-			if (lock(fd, fa_offset, page_sz, F_RDLCK) != 1)
-				return -1;
 		} else {
 			int flags = grow ? 0 : FALLOC_FL_PUNCH_HOLE |
 					FALLOC_FL_KEEP_SIZE;
-			int ret;
+			int ret, lock_fd;
 
 			/* if fallocate() is supported, we need to take out a
 			 * read lock on allocate (to prevent other processes
@@ -351,20 +380,69 @@ resize_hugefile(int fd, uint64_t fa_offset, uint64_t page_sz,
 			 * lock on deallocate (to ensure nobody else is using
 			 * this page).
 			 *
-			 * we can't use flock() for this, as we actually need to
-			 * lock part of the file, not the entire file.
+			 * read locks on page itself are already taken out at
+			 * file creation, in get_seg_fd().
+			 *
+			 * we cannot rely on simple use of flock() call, because
+			 * we need to be able to lock a section of the file,
+			 * and we cannot use fcntl() locks, because of numerous
+			 * problems with their semantics, so we will use
+			 * deterministically named lock files for each section
+			 * of the file.
+			 *
+			 * if we're shrinking the file, we want to upgrade our
+			 * lock from shared to exclusive.
+			 *
+			 * lock_fd is an fd for a lockfile, not for the segment
+			 * list.
 			 */
+			lock_fd = get_segment_lock_fd(list_idx, seg_idx);
 
 			if (!grow) {
-				ret = lock(fd, fa_offset, page_sz, F_WRLCK);
+				/* we are using this lockfile to determine
+				 * whether this particular page is locked, as we
+				 * are in single file segments mode and thus
+				 * cannot use regular flock() to get this info.
+				 *
+				 * we want to try and take out an exclusive lock
+				 * on the lock file to determine if we're the
+				 * last ones using this page, and if not, we
+				 * won't be shrinking it, and will instead exit
+				 * prematurely.
+				 */
+				ret = lock(lock_fd, LOCK_EX);
+
+				/* drop the lock on the lockfile, so that even
+				 * if we couldn't shrink the file ourselves, we
+				 * are signalling to other processes that we're
+				 * no longer using this page.
+				 */
+				if (unlock_segment(list_idx, seg_idx))
+					RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Could not unlock segment\n");
+
+				/* additionally, if this was the last lock on
+				 * this segment list, we can safely close the
+				 * page file fd, so that one of the processes
+				 * could then delete the file after shrinking.
+				 */
+				if (ret < 1 && lock_fds[list_idx].count == 0) {
+					close(fd);
+					lock_fds[list_idx].memseg_list_fd = -1;
+				}
 
-				if (ret < 0)
+				if (ret < 0) {
+					RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Could not lock segment\n");
 					return -1;
-				else if (ret == 0)
-					/* failed to lock, not an error */
+				}
+				if (ret == 0)
+					/* failed to lock, not an error. */
 					return 0;
 			}
-			if (fallocate(fd, flags, fa_offset, page_sz) < 0) {
+
+			/* grow or shrink the file */
+			ret = fallocate(fd, flags, fa_offset, page_sz);
+
+			if (ret < 0) {
 				if (fallocate_supported == -1 &&
 						errno == ENOTSUP) {
 					RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): fallocate() not supported, hugepage deallocation will be disabled\n",
@@ -380,16 +458,18 @@ resize_hugefile(int fd, uint64_t fa_offset, uint64_t page_sz,
 			} else {
 				fallocate_supported = 1;
 
-				if (grow) {
-					/* if can't read lock, it's an error */
-					if (lock(fd, fa_offset, page_sz,
-							F_RDLCK) != 1)
-						return -1;
-				} else {
-					/* if can't unlock, it's an error */
-					if (lock(fd, fa_offset, page_sz,
-							F_UNLCK) != 1)
-						return -1;
+				/* we've grew/shrunk the file, and we hold an
+				 * exclusive lock now. check if there are no
+				 * more segments active in this segment list,
+				 * and remove the file if there aren't.
+				 */
+				if (lock_fds[list_idx].count == 0) {
+					if (unlink(path))
+						RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): unlinking '%s' failed: %s\n",
+							__func__, path,
+							strerror(errno));
+					close(fd);
+					lock_fds[list_idx].memseg_list_fd = -1;
 				}
 			}
 		}
@@ -411,15 +491,19 @@ alloc_seg(struct rte_memseg *ms, void *addr, int socket_id,
 	int fd;
 	size_t alloc_sz;
 
+	/* takes out a read lock on segment or segment list */
 	fd = get_seg_fd(path, sizeof(path), hi, list_idx, seg_idx);
-	if (fd < 0)
+	if (fd < 0) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Couldn't get fd on hugepage file\n");
 		return -1;
+	}
 
 	alloc_sz = hi->hugepage_sz;
 	if (internal_config.single_file_segments) {
 		map_offset = seg_idx * alloc_sz;
-		ret = resize_hugefile(fd, map_offset, alloc_sz, true);
-		if (ret < 1)
+		ret = resize_hugefile(fd, path, list_idx, seg_idx, map_offset,
+				alloc_sz, true);
+		if (ret < 0)
 			goto resized;
 	} else {
 		map_offset = 0;
@@ -428,28 +512,6 @@ alloc_seg(struct rte_memseg *ms, void *addr, int socket_id,
 				__func__, strerror(errno));
 			goto resized;
 		}
-		/* we've allocated a page - take out a read lock. we're using
-		 * fcntl() locks rather than flock() here because doing that
-		 * gives us one huge advantage - fcntl() locks are per-process,
-		 * not per-file descriptor, which means that we don't have to
-		 * keep the original fd's around to keep a lock on the file.
-		 *
-		 * this is useful, because when it comes to unmapping pages, we
-		 * will have to take out a write lock (to figure out if another
-		 * process still has this page mapped), and to do itwith flock()
-		 * we'll have to use original fd, as lock is associated with
-		 * that particular fd. with fcntl(), this is not necessary - we
-		 * can open a new fd and use fcntl() on that.
-		 */
-		ret = lock(fd, map_offset, alloc_sz, F_RDLCK);
-
-		/* this should not fail */
-		if (ret != 1) {
-			RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): error locking file: %s\n",
-				__func__,
-				strerror(errno));
-			goto resized;
-		}
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -518,19 +580,14 @@ alloc_seg(struct rte_memseg *ms, void *addr, int socket_id,
 	munmap(addr, alloc_sz);
 resized:
 	if (internal_config.single_file_segments) {
-		resize_hugefile(fd, map_offset, alloc_sz, false);
-		if (is_zero_length(fd)) {
-			struct msl_entry *te = get_msl_entry_by_idx(list_idx);
-			if (te != NULL && te->fd >= 0) {
-				close(te->fd);
-				te->fd = -1;
-			}
-			/* ignore errors, can't make it any worse */
-			unlink(path);
-		}
+		resize_hugefile(fd, path, list_idx, seg_idx, map_offset,
+				alloc_sz, false);
+		/* ignore failure, can't make it any worse */
 	} else {
+		/* only remove file if we can take out a write lock */
+		if (lock(fd, LOCK_EX) == 1)
+			unlink(path);
 		close(fd);
-		unlink(path);
 	}
 	return -1;
 }
@@ -546,6 +603,14 @@ free_seg(struct rte_memseg *ms, struct hugepage_info *hi,
 	/* erase page data */
 	memset(ms->addr, 0, ms->len);
 
+	/* if we are not in single file segments mode, we're going to unmap the
+	 * segment and thus drop the lock on original fd, so take out another
+	 * shared lock before we do that.
+	 */
+	fd = get_seg_fd(path, sizeof(path), hi, list_idx, seg_idx);
+	if (fd < 0)
+		return -1;
+
 	if (mmap(ms->addr, ms->len, PROT_READ,
 			MAP_PRIVATE | MAP_ANONYMOUS | MAP_FIXED, -1, 0) ==
 				MAP_FAILED) {
@@ -553,41 +618,23 @@ free_seg(struct rte_memseg *ms, struct hugepage_info *hi,
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	fd = get_seg_fd(path, sizeof(path), hi, list_idx, seg_idx);
-	if (fd < 0)
-		return -1;
-
 	if (internal_config.single_file_segments) {
 		map_offset = seg_idx * ms->len;
-		if (resize_hugefile(fd, map_offset, ms->len, false))
+		if (resize_hugefile(fd, path, list_idx, seg_idx, map_offset,
+				ms->len, false))
 			return -1;
-		/* if file is zero-length, we've already shrunk it, so it's
-		 * safe to remove.
-		 */
-		if (is_zero_length(fd)) {
-			struct msl_entry *te = get_msl_entry_by_idx(list_idx);
-			if (te != NULL && te->fd >= 0) {
-				close(te->fd);
-				te->fd = -1;
-			}
-			unlink(path);
-		}
 		ret = 0;
 	} else {
 		/* if we're able to take out a write lock, we're the last one
 		 * holding onto this page.
 		 */
-
-		ret = lock(fd, 0, ms->len, F_WRLCK);
+		ret = lock(fd, LOCK_EX);
 		if (ret >= 0) {
 			/* no one else is using this page */
 			if (ret == 1)
 				unlink(path);
-			ret = lock(fd, 0, ms->len, F_UNLCK);
-			if (ret != 1)
-				RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): unable to unlock file %s\n",
-					__func__, path);
 		}
+		/* closing fd will drop the lock */
 		close(fd);
 	}
 
@@ -612,7 +659,7 @@ alloc_seg_walk(const struct rte_memseg_list *msl, void *arg)
 	struct alloc_walk_param *wa = arg;
 	struct rte_memseg_list *cur_msl;
 	size_t page_sz;
-	int cur_idx, start_idx, j;
+	int cur_idx, start_idx, j, dir_fd;
 	unsigned int msl_idx, need, i;
 
 	if (msl->page_sz != wa->page_sz)
@@ -633,6 +680,25 @@ alloc_seg_walk(const struct rte_memseg_list *msl, void *arg)
 		return 0;
 	start_idx = cur_idx;
 
+	/* do not allow any page allocations during the time we're allocating,
+	 * because file creation and locking operations are not atomic,
+	 * and we might be the first or the last ones to use a particular page,
+	 * so we need to ensure atomicity of every operation.
+	 */
+	dir_fd = open(wa->hi->hugedir, O_RDONLY);
+	if (dir_fd < 0) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): Cannot open '%s': %s\n", __func__,
+			wa->hi->hugedir, strerror(errno));
+		return -1;
+	}
+	/* blocking writelock */
+	if (flock(dir_fd, LOCK_EX)) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): Cannot lock '%s': %s\n", __func__,
+			wa->hi->hugedir, strerror(errno));
+		close(dir_fd);
+		return -1;
+	}
+
 	for (i = 0; i < need; i++, cur_idx++) {
 		struct rte_memseg *cur;
 		void *map_addr;
@@ -668,6 +734,8 @@ alloc_seg_walk(const struct rte_memseg_list *msl, void *arg)
 			/* clear the list */
 			if (wa->ms)
 				memset(wa->ms, 0, sizeof(*wa->ms) * wa->n_segs);
+
+			close(dir_fd);
 			return -1;
 		}
 		if (wa->ms)
@@ -679,6 +747,7 @@ alloc_seg_walk(const struct rte_memseg_list *msl, void *arg)
 	wa->segs_allocated = i;
 	if (i > 0)
 		cur_msl->version++;
+	close(dir_fd);
 	return 1;
 }
 
@@ -693,7 +762,7 @@ free_seg_walk(const struct rte_memseg_list *msl, void *arg)
 	struct rte_memseg_list *found_msl;
 	struct free_walk_param *wa = arg;
 	uintptr_t start_addr, end_addr;
-	int msl_idx, seg_idx;
+	int msl_idx, seg_idx, ret, dir_fd;
 
 	start_addr = (uintptr_t) msl->base_va;
 	end_addr = start_addr + msl->memseg_arr.len * (size_t)msl->page_sz;
@@ -708,11 +777,34 @@ free_seg_walk(const struct rte_memseg_list *msl, void *arg)
 	/* msl is const */
 	found_msl = &mcfg->memsegs[msl_idx];
 
+	/* do not allow any page allocations during the time we're freeing,
+	 * because file creation and locking operations are not atomic,
+	 * and we might be the first or the last ones to use a particular page,
+	 * so we need to ensure atomicity of every operation.
+	 */
+	dir_fd = open(wa->hi->hugedir, O_RDONLY);
+	if (dir_fd < 0) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): Cannot open '%s': %s\n", __func__,
+			wa->hi->hugedir, strerror(errno));
+		return -1;
+	}
+	/* blocking writelock */
+	if (flock(dir_fd, LOCK_EX)) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): Cannot lock '%s': %s\n", __func__,
+			wa->hi->hugedir, strerror(errno));
+		close(dir_fd);
+		return -1;
+	}
+
 	found_msl->version++;
 
 	rte_fbarray_set_free(&found_msl->memseg_arr, seg_idx);
 
-	if (free_seg(wa->ms, wa->hi, msl_idx, seg_idx))
+	ret = free_seg(wa->ms, wa->hi, msl_idx, seg_idx);
+
+	close(dir_fd);
+
+	if (ret < 0)
 		return -1;
 
 	return 1;
@@ -1034,22 +1126,46 @@ sync_existing(struct rte_memseg_list *primary_msl,
 		struct rte_memseg_list *local_msl, struct hugepage_info *hi,
 		unsigned int msl_idx)
 {
-	int ret;
+	int ret, dir_fd;
+
+	/* do not allow any page allocations during the time we're allocating,
+	 * because file creation and locking operations are not atomic,
+	 * and we might be the first or the last ones to use a particular page,
+	 * so we need to ensure atomicity of every operation.
+	 */
+	dir_fd = open(hi->hugedir, O_RDONLY);
+	if (dir_fd < 0) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): Cannot open '%s': %s\n", __func__,
+			hi->hugedir, strerror(errno));
+		return -1;
+	}
+	/* blocking writelock */
+	if (flock(dir_fd, LOCK_EX)) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): Cannot lock '%s': %s\n", __func__,
+			hi->hugedir, strerror(errno));
+		close(dir_fd);
+		return -1;
+	}
 
 	/* ensure all allocated space is the same in both lists */
 	ret = sync_status(primary_msl, local_msl, hi, msl_idx, true);
 	if (ret < 0)
-		return -1;
+		goto fail;
 
 	/* ensure all unallocated space is the same in both lists */
 	ret = sync_status(primary_msl, local_msl, hi, msl_idx, false);
 	if (ret < 0)
-		return -1;
+		goto fail;
 
 	/* update version number */
 	local_msl->version = primary_msl->version;
 
+	close(dir_fd);
+
 	return 0;
+fail:
+	close(dir_fd);
+	return -1;
 }
 
 static int
@@ -1128,11 +1244,46 @@ secondary_msl_create_walk(const struct rte_memseg_list *msl,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int
+secondary_lock_list_create_walk(const struct rte_memseg_list *msl,
+		void *arg __rte_unused)
+{
+	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg = rte_eal_get_configuration()->mem_config;
+	unsigned int i, len;
+	int msl_idx;
+	int *data;
+
+	msl_idx = msl - mcfg->memsegs;
+	len = msl->memseg_arr.len;
+
+	/* ensure we have space to store lock fd per each possible segment */
+	data = malloc(sizeof(int) * len);
+	if (data == NULL) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "Unable to allocate space for lock descriptors\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	/* set all fd's as invalid */
+	for (i = 0; i < len; i++)
+		data[i] = -1;
+
+	lock_fds[msl_idx].fds = data;
+	lock_fds[msl_idx].len = len;
+	lock_fds[msl_idx].count = 0;
+	lock_fds[msl_idx].memseg_list_fd = -1;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 int
 eal_memalloc_init(void)
 {
 	if (rte_eal_process_type() == RTE_PROC_SECONDARY)
 		if (rte_memseg_list_walk(secondary_msl_create_walk, NULL) < 0)
 			return -1;
+
+	/* initialize all of the lock fd lists */
+	if (internal_config.single_file_segments)
+		if (rte_memseg_list_walk(secondary_lock_list_create_walk, NULL))
+			return -1;
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_memory.c b/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_memory.c
index fadc1de..ad3add8 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_memory.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/eal_memory.c
@@ -259,7 +259,6 @@ map_all_hugepages(struct hugepage_file *hugepg_tbl, struct hugepage_info *hpi,
 	int fd;
 	unsigned i;
 	void *virtaddr;
-	struct flock lck = {0};
 #ifdef RTE_EAL_NUMA_AWARE_HUGEPAGES
 	int node_id = -1;
 	int essential_prev = 0;
@@ -378,13 +377,8 @@ map_all_hugepages(struct hugepage_file *hugepg_tbl, struct hugepage_info *hpi,
 		}
 		*(int *)virtaddr = 0;
 
-
 		/* set shared lock on the file. */
-		lck.l_type = F_RDLCK;
-		lck.l_whence = SEEK_SET;
-		lck.l_start = 0;
-		lck.l_len = hugepage_sz;
-		if (fcntl(fd, F_SETLK, &lck) == -1) {
+		if (flock(fd, LOCK_SH) < 0) {
 			RTE_LOG(DEBUG, EAL, "%s(): Locking file failed:%s \n",
 				__func__, strerror(errno));
 			close(fd);
@@ -708,7 +702,6 @@ remap_segment(struct hugepage_file *hugepages, int seg_start, int seg_end)
 #endif
 		struct hugepage_file *hfile = &hugepages[cur_page];
 		struct rte_memseg *ms = rte_fbarray_get(arr, ms_idx);
-		struct flock lck;
 		void *addr;
 		int fd;
 
@@ -719,11 +712,7 @@ remap_segment(struct hugepage_file *hugepages, int seg_start, int seg_end)
 			return -1;
 		}
 		/* set shared lock on the file. */
-		lck.l_type = F_RDLCK;
-		lck.l_whence = SEEK_SET;
-		lck.l_start = 0;
-		lck.l_len = page_sz;
-		if (fcntl(fd, F_SETLK, &lck) == -1) {
+		if (flock(fd, LOCK_SH) < 0) {
 			RTE_LOG(DEBUG, EAL, "Could not lock '%s': %s\n",
 					hfile->filepath, strerror(errno));
 			close(fd);
@@ -1732,7 +1721,6 @@ eal_legacy_hugepage_attach(void)
 		struct hugepage_file *hf = &hp[i];
 		size_t map_sz = hf->size;
 		void *map_addr = hf->final_va;
-		struct flock lck;
 
 		/* if size is zero, no more pages left */
 		if (map_sz == 0)
@@ -1754,11 +1742,7 @@ eal_legacy_hugepage_attach(void)
 		}
 
 		/* set shared lock on the file. */
-		lck.l_type = F_RDLCK;
-		lck.l_whence = SEEK_SET;
-		lck.l_start = 0;
-		lck.l_len = map_sz;
-		if (fcntl(fd, F_SETLK, &lck) == -1) {
+		if (flock(fd, LOCK_SH) < 0) {
 			RTE_LOG(DEBUG, EAL, "%s(): Locking file failed: %s\n",
 				__func__, strerror(errno));
 			close(fd);
