diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/include/lustre_sec.h b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/include/lustre_sec.h
index 90c183424802..89658e0bd481 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/include/lustre_sec.h
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/include/lustre_sec.h
@@ -1029,6 +1029,8 @@ int  sptlrpc_target_export_check(struct obd_export *exp,
 
 /* bulk security api */
 void sptlrpc_enc_pool_put_pages(struct ptlrpc_bulk_desc *desc);
+int get_free_pages_in_pool(void);
+int pool_is_at_full_capacity(void);
 
 int sptlrpc_cli_wrap_bulk(struct ptlrpc_request *req,
 			  struct ptlrpc_bulk_desc *desc);
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/client.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/client.c
index bda925ed5294..cc4b129e1891 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/client.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/client.c
@@ -1440,6 +1440,13 @@ static int ptlrpc_send_new_req(struct ptlrpc_request *req)
 	int rc;
 
 	LASSERT(req->rq_phase == RQ_PHASE_NEW);
+
+	/* do not try to go further if there is not enough memory in enc_pool */
+	if (req->rq_sent && req->rq_bulk)
+		if (req->rq_bulk->bd_iov_count > get_free_pages_in_pool() &&
+		    pool_is_at_full_capacity())
+			return -ENOMEM;
+
 	if (req->rq_sent && (req->rq_sent > ktime_get_real_seconds()) &&
 	    (!req->rq_generation_set ||
 	     req->rq_import_generation == imp->imp_generation))
@@ -1533,6 +1540,16 @@ static int ptlrpc_send_new_req(struct ptlrpc_request *req)
 	       lustre_msg_get_opc(req->rq_reqmsg));
 
 	rc = ptl_send_rpc(req, 0);
+	if (rc == -ENOMEM) {
+		spin_lock(&imp->imp_lock);
+		if (!list_empty(&req->rq_list)) {
+			list_del_init(&req->rq_list);
+			atomic_dec(&req->rq_import->imp_inflight);
+		}
+		spin_unlock(&imp->imp_lock);
+		ptlrpc_rqphase_move(req, RQ_PHASE_NEW);
+		return rc;
+	}
 	if (rc) {
 		DEBUG_REQ(D_HA, req, "send failed (%d); expect timeout", rc);
 		spin_lock(&req->rq_lock);
@@ -1822,6 +1839,14 @@ int ptlrpc_check_set(const struct lu_env *env, struct ptlrpc_request_set *set)
 				}
 
 				rc = ptl_send_rpc(req, 0);
+				if (rc == -ENOMEM) {
+					spin_lock(&imp->imp_lock);
+					if (!list_empty(&req->rq_list))
+						list_del_init(&req->rq_list);
+					spin_unlock(&imp->imp_lock);
+					ptlrpc_rqphase_move(req, RQ_PHASE_NEW);
+					continue;
+				}
 				if (rc) {
 					DEBUG_REQ(D_HA, req,
 						  "send failed: rc = %d", rc);
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/niobuf.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/niobuf.c
index c2dd948de598..4e80ba935a51 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/niobuf.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/niobuf.c
@@ -536,8 +536,15 @@ int ptl_send_rpc(struct ptlrpc_request *request, int noreply)
 		mpflag = cfs_memory_pressure_get_and_set();
 
 	rc = sptlrpc_cli_wrap_request(request);
-	if (rc)
+	if (rc) {
+		/*
+		 * set rq_sent so that this request is treated
+		 * as a delayed send in the upper layers
+		 */
+		if (rc == -ENOMEM)
+			request->rq_sent = ktime_get_seconds();
 		goto out;
+	}
 
 	/* bulk register should be done after wrap_request() */
 	if (request->rq_bulk) {
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/sec_bulk.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/sec_bulk.c
index ceb805d28f28..2fe9085e2034 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/sec_bulk.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/sec_bulk.c
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ static struct ptlrpc_enc_page_pool {
 	unsigned long    epp_st_lowfree;	/* lowest free pages reached */
 	unsigned int     epp_st_max_wqlen;      /* highest waitqueue length */
 	unsigned long       epp_st_max_wait;       /* in jiffies */
+	unsigned long	 epp_st_outofmem;	/* # of out of mem requests */
 	/*
 	 * pointers to pools
 	 */
@@ -139,7 +140,8 @@ int sptlrpc_proc_enc_pool_seq_show(struct seq_file *m, void *v)
 		   "cache missing:	   %lu\n"
 		   "low free mark:	   %lu\n"
 		   "max waitqueue depth:     %u\n"
-		   "max wait time:	   %ld/%lu\n",
+		   "max wait time:	   %ld/%lu\n"
+		   "out of mem:		 %lu\n",
 		   totalram_pages,
 		   PAGES_PER_POOL,
 		   page_pools.epp_max_pages,
@@ -158,7 +160,8 @@ int sptlrpc_proc_enc_pool_seq_show(struct seq_file *m, void *v)
 		   page_pools.epp_st_lowfree,
 		   page_pools.epp_st_max_wqlen,
 		   page_pools.epp_st_max_wait,
-		   msecs_to_jiffies(MSEC_PER_SEC));
+		   msecs_to_jiffies(MSEC_PER_SEC),
+		   page_pools.epp_st_outofmem);
 
 	spin_unlock(&page_pools.epp_lock);
 
@@ -306,6 +309,22 @@ static inline void enc_pools_wakeup(void)
 	}
 }
 
+/*
+ * Export the number of free pages in the pool
+ */
+int get_free_pages_in_pool(void)
+{
+	return page_pools.epp_free_pages;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Let outside world know if enc_pool full capacity is reached
+ */
+int pool_is_at_full_capacity(void)
+{
+	return (page_pools.epp_total_pages == page_pools.epp_max_pages);
+}
+
 void sptlrpc_enc_pool_put_pages(struct ptlrpc_bulk_desc *desc)
 {
 	int p_idx, g_idx;
@@ -406,6 +425,7 @@ int sptlrpc_enc_pool_init(void)
 	page_pools.epp_st_lowfree = 0;
 	page_pools.epp_st_max_wqlen = 0;
 	page_pools.epp_st_max_wait = 0;
+	page_pools.epp_st_outofmem = 0;
 
 	enc_pools_alloc();
 	if (!page_pools.epp_pools)
@@ -433,13 +453,14 @@ void sptlrpc_enc_pool_fini(void)
 
 	if (page_pools.epp_st_access > 0) {
 		CDEBUG(D_SEC,
-		       "max pages %lu, grows %u, grow fails %u, shrinks %u, access %lu, missing %lu, max qlen %u, max wait %ld/%ld\n",
+		       "max pages %lu, grows %u, grow fails %u, shrinks %u, access %lu, missing %lu, max qlen %u, max wait %ld/%ld, out of mem %lu\n",
 		       page_pools.epp_st_max_pages, page_pools.epp_st_grows,
 		       page_pools.epp_st_grow_fails,
 		       page_pools.epp_st_shrinks, page_pools.epp_st_access,
 		       page_pools.epp_st_missings, page_pools.epp_st_max_wqlen,
 		       page_pools.epp_st_max_wait,
-		       msecs_to_jiffies(MSEC_PER_SEC));
+		       msecs_to_jiffies(MSEC_PER_SEC),
+		       page_pools.epp_st_outofmem);
 	}
 }