Index: linux-2.6.18.i386/fs/ext4/ialloc.c
===================================================================
--- linux-2.6.18.i386.orig/fs/ext4/ialloc.c
+++ linux-2.6.18.i386/fs/ext4/ialloc.c
@@ -509,12 +509,16 @@ fallback:
 }
 
 static int find_group_other(struct super_block *sb, struct inode *parent,
-				ext4_group_t *group)
+			    ext4_group_t *group, int mode)
 {
+	struct ext4_sb_info *sbi = EXT4_SB(sb);
 	ext4_group_t parent_group = EXT4_I(parent)->i_block_group;
-	ext4_group_t ngroups = EXT4_SB(sb)->s_groups_count;
+	ext4_group_t ngroups = sbi->s_groups_count;
 	struct ext4_group_desc *desc;
 	ext4_group_t i;
+	int best_group = -1;
+	ext4_fsblk_t avefreeb, freeb;
+	int best_group_freeb = 0;
 
 	/*
 	 * Try to place the inode in its parent directory
@@ -522,8 +526,10 @@ static int find_group_other(struct super
 	*group = parent_group;
 	desc = ext4_get_group_desc(sb, *group, NULL);
 	if (desc && le16_to_cpu(desc->bg_free_inodes_count) &&
-			le16_to_cpu(desc->bg_free_blocks_count))
+	    (!S_ISREG(mode) || le16_to_cpu(desc->bg_free_blocks_count)))
 		return 0;
+	avefreeb = ext4_free_blocks_count(sbi->s_es);
+	do_div(avefreeb, ngroups);
 
 	/*
 	 * We're going to place this inode in a different blockgroup from its
@@ -537,33 +543,49 @@ static int find_group_other(struct super
 	*group = (*group + parent->i_ino) % ngroups;
 
 	/*
-	 * Use a quadratic hash to find a group with a free inode and some free
-	 * blocks.
+	 * Use a quadratic hash to find a group with a free inode and
+	 * average number of free blocks.
 	 */
 	for (i = 1; i < ngroups; i <<= 1) {
 		*group += i;
 		if (*group >= ngroups)
 			*group -= ngroups;
 		desc = ext4_get_group_desc(sb, *group, NULL);
-		if (desc && le16_to_cpu(desc->bg_free_inodes_count) &&
-				le16_to_cpu(desc->bg_free_blocks_count))
+		if (!desc || !desc->bg_free_inodes_count)
+			continue;
+		if (!S_ISREG(mode))
+			return 0;
+		if (le16_to_cpu(desc->bg_free_blocks_count) >= avefreeb)
 			return 0;
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * That failed: try linear search for a free inode, even if that group
-	 * has no free blocks.
+	 * That failed: start from last group used to allocate inode
+	 * try linear search for a free inode and prefereably
+	 * free blocks.
 	 */
-	*group = parent_group;
+	*group = sbi->s_last_alloc_group;
+	if (*group == -1)
+		*group = parent_group;
+
 	for (i = 0; i < ngroups; i++) {
 		if (++*group >= ngroups)
 			*group = 0;
 		desc = ext4_get_group_desc(sb, *group, NULL);
-		if (desc && le16_to_cpu(desc->bg_free_inodes_count))
-			return 0;
+		if (!desc || !desc->bg_free_inodes_count)
+			continue;
+		freeb = le16_to_cpu(desc->bg_free_blocks_count);
+		if (freeb > best_group_freeb) {
+			best_group_freeb = freeb;
+			best_group = *group;
+			if (freeb >= avefreeb || !S_ISREG(mode))
+				break;
+		}
 	}
 
-	return -1;
+	sbi->s_last_alloc_group = best_group;
+	*group = best_group;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 /*
@@ -656,7 +678,7 @@ continue_allocation:
 		else
 			ret2 = find_group_orlov(sb, dir, &group);
 	} else
-		ret2 = find_group_other(sb, dir, &group);
+		ret2 = find_group_other(sb, dir, &group, mode);
 
 got_group:
 	err = -ENOSPC;
Index: linux-2.6.18.i386/fs/ext4/super.c
===================================================================
--- linux-2.6.18.i386.orig/fs/ext4/super.c
+++ linux-2.6.18.i386/fs/ext4/super.c
@@ -2190,6 +2190,7 @@ static int ext4_fill_super(struct super_
 
 	bgl_lock_init(&sbi->s_blockgroup_lock);
 
+	sbi->s_last_alloc_group = -1;
 	for (i = 0; i < db_count; i++) {
 		block = descriptor_loc(sb, logical_sb_block, i);
 		sbi->s_group_desc[i] = sb_bread(sb, block);
Index: linux-2.6.18.i386/fs/ext4/ext4_sb.h
===================================================================
--- linux-2.6.18.i386.orig/fs/ext4/ext4_sb.h
+++ linux-2.6.18.i386/fs/ext4/ext4_sb.h
@@ -60,6 +60,8 @@ struct ext4_sb_info {
 	struct percpu_counter s_freeinodes_counter;
 	struct percpu_counter s_dirs_counter;
 	struct blockgroup_lock s_blockgroup_lock;
+	/* Last group used to allocate inode */
+	int s_last_alloc_group;
 
 	/* root of the per fs reservation window tree */
 	spinlock_t s_rsv_window_lock;