diff --git a/drivers/md/raid10.c b/drivers/md/raid10.c
index de174ad6f8bd..70b58b4bcf89 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid10.c
+++ b/drivers/md/raid10.c
@@ -38,21 +38,36 @@
  *    near_copies (stored in low byte of layout)
  *    far_copies (stored in second byte of layout)
  *    far_offset (stored in bit 16 of layout )
+ *    use_far_sets (stored in bit 17 of layout )
  *
- * The data to be stored is divided into chunks using chunksize.
- * Each device is divided into far_copies sections.
- * In each section, chunks are laid out in a style similar to raid0, but
- * near_copies copies of each chunk is stored (each on a different drive).
- * The starting device for each section is offset near_copies from the starting
- * device of the previous section.
- * Thus they are (near_copies*far_copies) of each chunk, and each is on a different
- * drive.
- * near_copies and far_copies must be at least one, and their product is at most
- * raid_disks.
+ * The data to be stored is divided into chunks using chunksize.  Each device
+ * is divided into far_copies sections.   In each section, chunks are laid out
+ * in a style similar to raid0, but near_copies copies of each chunk is stored
+ * (each on a different drive).  The starting device for each section is offset
+ * near_copies from the starting device of the previous section.  Thus there
+ * are (near_copies * far_copies) of each chunk, and each is on a different
+ * drive.  near_copies and far_copies must be at least one, and their product
+ * is at most raid_disks.
  *
  * If far_offset is true, then the far_copies are handled a bit differently.
- * The copies are still in different stripes, but instead of be very far apart
- * on disk, there are adjacent stripes.
+ * The copies are still in different stripes, but instead of being very far
+ * apart on disk, there are adjacent stripes.
+ *
+ * The far and offset algorithms are handled slightly differently if
+ * 'use_far_sets' is true.  In this case, the array's devices are grouped into
+ * sets that are (near_copies * far_copies) in size.  The far copied stripes
+ * are still shifted by 'near_copies' devices, but this shifting stays confined
+ * to the set rather than the entire array.  This is done to improve the number
+ * of device combinations that can fail without causing the array to fail.
+ * Example 'far' algorithm w/o 'use_far_sets' (each letter represents a chunk
+ * on a device):
+ *    A B C D    A B C D E
+ *      ...         ...
+ *    D A B C    E A B C D
+ * Example 'far' algorithm w/ 'use_far_sets' enabled (sets illustrated w/ []'s):
+ *    [A B] [C D]    [A B] [C D E]
+ *    |...| |...|    |...| | ... |
+ *    [B A] [D C]    [B A] [E C D]
  */
 
 /*
@@ -551,14 +566,18 @@ static void __raid10_find_phys(struct geom *geo, struct r10bio *r10bio)
 	/* and calculate all the others */
 	for (n = 0; n < geo->near_copies; n++) {
 		int d = dev;
+		int set;
 		sector_t s = sector;
 		r10bio->devs[slot].devnum = d;
 		r10bio->devs[slot].addr = s;
 		slot++;
 
 		for (f = 1; f < geo->far_copies; f++) {
+			set = d / geo->far_set_size;
 			d += geo->near_copies;
-			d %= geo->raid_disks;
+			d %= geo->far_set_size;
+			d += geo->far_set_size * set;
+
 			s += geo->stride;
 			r10bio->devs[slot].devnum = d;
 			r10bio->devs[slot].addr = s;
@@ -594,6 +613,8 @@ static sector_t raid10_find_virt(struct r10conf *conf, sector_t sector, int dev)
 	 * or recovery, so reshape isn't happening
 	 */
 	struct geom *geo = &conf->geo;
+	int far_set_start = (dev / geo->far_set_size) * geo->far_set_size;
+	int far_set_size = geo->far_set_size;
 
 	offset = sector & geo->chunk_mask;
 	if (geo->far_offset) {
@@ -601,13 +622,13 @@ static sector_t raid10_find_virt(struct r10conf *conf, sector_t sector, int dev)
 		chunk = sector >> geo->chunk_shift;
 		fc = sector_div(chunk, geo->far_copies);
 		dev -= fc * geo->near_copies;
-		if (dev < 0)
-			dev += geo->raid_disks;
+		if (dev < far_set_start)
+			dev += far_set_size;
 	} else {
 		while (sector >= geo->stride) {
 			sector -= geo->stride;
-			if (dev < geo->near_copies)
-				dev += geo->raid_disks - geo->near_copies;
+			if (dev < (geo->near_copies + far_set_start))
+				dev += far_set_size - geo->near_copies;
 			else
 				dev -= geo->near_copies;
 		}
@@ -3438,7 +3459,7 @@ static int setup_geo(struct geom *geo, struct mddev *mddev, enum geo_type new)
 		disks = mddev->raid_disks + mddev->delta_disks;
 		break;
 	}
-	if (layout >> 17)
+	if (layout >> 18)
 		return -1;
 	if (chunk < (PAGE_SIZE >> 9) ||
 	    !is_power_of_2(chunk))
@@ -3450,6 +3471,7 @@ static int setup_geo(struct geom *geo, struct mddev *mddev, enum geo_type new)
 	geo->near_copies = nc;
 	geo->far_copies = fc;
 	geo->far_offset = fo;
+	geo->far_set_size = (layout & (1<<17)) ? disks / fc : disks;
 	geo->chunk_mask = chunk - 1;
 	geo->chunk_shift = ffz(~chunk);
 	return nc*fc;
diff --git a/drivers/md/raid10.h b/drivers/md/raid10.h
index 1054cf602345..157d69e83ff4 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid10.h
+++ b/drivers/md/raid10.h
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ struct r10conf {
 					       * far_offset, in which case it is
 					       * 1 stripe.
 					       */
+		int             far_set_size; /* The number of devices in a set,
+					       * where a 'set' are devices that
+					       * contain far/offset copies of
+					       * each other.
+					       */
 		int		chunk_shift; /* shift from chunks to sectors */
 		sector_t	chunk_mask;
 	} prev, geo;