diff --git a/drivers/nvdimm/dax_devs.c b/drivers/nvdimm/dax_devs.c
index 49fc18ee0565..6d22b0f83b3b 100644
--- a/drivers/nvdimm/dax_devs.c
+++ b/drivers/nvdimm/dax_devs.c
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ int nd_dax_probe(struct device *dev, struct nd_namespace_common *ndns)
 	nvdimm_bus_unlock(&ndns->dev);
 	if (!dax_dev)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	pfn_sb = devm_kzalloc(dev, sizeof(*pfn_sb), GFP_KERNEL);
+	pfn_sb = devm_kmalloc(dev, sizeof(*pfn_sb), GFP_KERNEL);
 	nd_pfn->pfn_sb = pfn_sb;
 	rc = nd_pfn_validate(nd_pfn, DAX_SIG);
 	dev_dbg(dev, "dax: %s\n", rc == 0 ? dev_name(dax_dev) : "<none>");
diff --git a/drivers/nvdimm/pfn.h b/drivers/nvdimm/pfn.h
index f58b849e455b..dfb2bcda8f5a 100644
--- a/drivers/nvdimm/pfn.h
+++ b/drivers/nvdimm/pfn.h
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ struct nd_pfn_sb {
 	__le32 end_trunc;
 	/* minor-version-2 record the base alignment of the mapping */
 	__le32 align;
+	/* minor-version-3 guarantee the padding and flags are zero */
 	u8 padding[4000];
 	__le64 checksum;
 };
diff --git a/drivers/nvdimm/pfn_devs.c b/drivers/nvdimm/pfn_devs.c
index 55fb6b7433ed..06f465c0baf3 100644
--- a/drivers/nvdimm/pfn_devs.c
+++ b/drivers/nvdimm/pfn_devs.c
@@ -412,6 +412,15 @@ static int nd_pfn_clear_memmap_errors(struct nd_pfn *nd_pfn)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/**
+ * nd_pfn_validate - read and validate info-block
+ * @nd_pfn: fsdax namespace runtime state / properties
+ * @sig: 'devdax' or 'fsdax' signature
+ *
+ * Upon return the info-block buffer contents (->pfn_sb) are
+ * indeterminate when validation fails, and a coherent info-block
+ * otherwise.
+ */
 int nd_pfn_validate(struct nd_pfn *nd_pfn, const char *sig)
 {
 	u64 checksum, offset;
@@ -557,7 +566,7 @@ int nd_pfn_probe(struct device *dev, struct nd_namespace_common *ndns)
 	nvdimm_bus_unlock(&ndns->dev);
 	if (!pfn_dev)
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	pfn_sb = devm_kzalloc(dev, sizeof(*pfn_sb), GFP_KERNEL);
+	pfn_sb = devm_kmalloc(dev, sizeof(*pfn_sb), GFP_KERNEL);
 	nd_pfn = to_nd_pfn(pfn_dev);
 	nd_pfn->pfn_sb = pfn_sb;
 	rc = nd_pfn_validate(nd_pfn, PFN_SIG);
@@ -693,7 +702,7 @@ static int nd_pfn_init(struct nd_pfn *nd_pfn)
 	u64 checksum;
 	int rc;
 
-	pfn_sb = devm_kzalloc(&nd_pfn->dev, sizeof(*pfn_sb), GFP_KERNEL);
+	pfn_sb = devm_kmalloc(&nd_pfn->dev, sizeof(*pfn_sb), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!pfn_sb)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
@@ -702,11 +711,14 @@ static int nd_pfn_init(struct nd_pfn *nd_pfn)
 		sig = DAX_SIG;
 	else
 		sig = PFN_SIG;
+
 	rc = nd_pfn_validate(nd_pfn, sig);
 	if (rc != -ENODEV)
 		return rc;
 
 	/* no info block, do init */;
+	memset(pfn_sb, 0, sizeof(*pfn_sb));
+
 	nd_region = to_nd_region(nd_pfn->dev.parent);
 	if (nd_region->ro) {
 		dev_info(&nd_pfn->dev,
@@ -759,7 +771,7 @@ static int nd_pfn_init(struct nd_pfn *nd_pfn)
 	memcpy(pfn_sb->uuid, nd_pfn->uuid, 16);
 	memcpy(pfn_sb->parent_uuid, nd_dev_to_uuid(&ndns->dev), 16);
 	pfn_sb->version_major = cpu_to_le16(1);
-	pfn_sb->version_minor = cpu_to_le16(2);
+	pfn_sb->version_minor = cpu_to_le16(3);
 	pfn_sb->start_pad = cpu_to_le32(start_pad);
 	pfn_sb->end_trunc = cpu_to_le32(end_trunc);
 	pfn_sb->align = cpu_to_le32(nd_pfn->align);