diff --git a/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayout.c b/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayout.c
index 2ea63fda0035..6fa6aa82d509 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayout.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayout.c
@@ -883,7 +883,7 @@ ff_layout_choose_ds_for_read(struct pnfs_layout_segment *lseg,
 		mirror_ds = ff_layout_get_mirror_ds(lseg->pls_layout, mirror,
 						    *dss_id);
 		ds = nfs4_ff_layout_prepare_ds(lseg, mirror, mirror_ds,
-					       *dss_id, false);
+					       *dss_id, OP_READ);
 		if (IS_ERR(ds)) {
 			nfs4_ff_layout_put_deviceid(mirror_ds);
 			ret = ERR_CAST(ds);
@@ -1132,7 +1132,7 @@ ff_layout_pg_init_write(struct nfs_pageio_descriptor *pgio,
 		mirror_ds = ff_layout_get_mirror_ds(pgio->pg_lseg->pls_layout,
 						    mirror, dss_id);
 		ds = nfs4_ff_layout_prepare_ds(pgio->pg_lseg, mirror,
-					       mirror_ds, dss_id, true);
+					       mirror_ds, dss_id, OP_WRITE);
 		if (IS_ERR(ds)) {
 			nfs4_ff_layout_put_deviceid(mirror_ds);
 			if (!ff_layout_no_fallback_to_mds(pgio->pg_lseg))
@@ -2188,7 +2188,8 @@ ff_layout_read_pagelist(struct nfs_pgio_header *hdr)
 		mirror->dss_count,
 		offset);
 	mirror_ds = ff_layout_get_mirror_ds(lseg->pls_layout, mirror, dss_id);
-	ds = nfs4_ff_layout_prepare_ds(lseg, mirror, mirror_ds, dss_id, false);
+	ds = nfs4_ff_layout_prepare_ds(lseg, mirror, mirror_ds, dss_id,
+				       OP_READ);
 	if (IS_ERR(ds)) {
 		ds_fatal_error = nfs_error_is_fatal(PTR_ERR(ds));
 		goto out_failed;
@@ -2288,7 +2289,8 @@ ff_layout_write_pagelist(struct nfs_pgio_header *hdr, int sync)
 		mirror->dss_count,
 		offset);
 	mirror_ds = ff_layout_get_mirror_ds(lseg->pls_layout, mirror, dss_id);
-	ds = nfs4_ff_layout_prepare_ds(lseg, mirror, mirror_ds, dss_id, true);
+	ds = nfs4_ff_layout_prepare_ds(lseg, mirror, mirror_ds, dss_id,
+				       OP_WRITE);
 	if (IS_ERR(ds)) {
 		ds_fatal_error = nfs_error_is_fatal(PTR_ERR(ds));
 		goto out_failed;
@@ -2398,7 +2400,8 @@ static int ff_layout_initiate_commit(struct nfs_commit_data *data, int how)
 	mirror = FF_LAYOUT_COMP(lseg, idx);
 	dss_id = calc_dss_id_from_commit(lseg, data->ds_commit_index);
 	mirror_ds = ff_layout_get_mirror_ds(lseg->pls_layout, mirror, dss_id);
-	ds = nfs4_ff_layout_prepare_ds(lseg, mirror, mirror_ds, dss_id, true);
+	ds = nfs4_ff_layout_prepare_ds(lseg, mirror, mirror_ds, dss_id,
+				       OP_COMMIT);
 	if (IS_ERR(ds))
 		goto out_err;
 
diff --git a/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayout.h b/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayout.h
index 72b11034851a..09c3cd6964fd 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayout.h
+++ b/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayout.h
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ nfs4_ff_layout_prepare_ds(struct pnfs_layout_segment *lseg,
 			  struct nfs4_ff_layout_mirror *mirror,
 			  struct nfs4_ff_layout_ds *mirror_ds,
 			  u32 dss_id,
-			  bool fail_return);
+			  enum nfs_opnum4 opnum);
 
 struct rpc_clnt *
 nfs4_ff_find_or_create_ds_client(const struct nfs4_ff_layout_ds *mirror_ds,
diff --git a/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayoutdev.c b/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayoutdev.c
index d52f485d0650..bc95628a811f 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayoutdev.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/flexfilelayout/flexfilelayoutdev.c
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ ff_layout_get_mirror_ds(struct pnfs_layout_hdr *lo,
  * @mirror_ds: referenced device node for the stripe, from
  *	ff_layout_get_mirror_ds() (may be an ERR_PTR)
  * @dss_id: DS stripe id to select stripe to use
- * @fail_return: return layout on connect failure?
+ * @opnum: operation this connection is being prepared for
  *
  * Try to prepare a DS connection to accept an RPC call. This involves
  * selecting a mirror to use and connecting the client to it if it's not
@@ -387,8 +387,10 @@ ff_layout_get_mirror_ds(struct pnfs_layout_hdr *lo,
  *
  * Since we only need a single functioning mirror to satisfy a read, we don't
  * want to return the layout if there is one. For writes though, any down
- * mirror should result in a LAYOUTRETURN. @fail_return is how we distinguish
- * between the two cases.
+ * mirror should result in a LAYOUTRETURN. @opnum is how we distinguish
+ * between the two cases. On failure, @opnum is also reported in the tracked
+ * device error so that the server can tell which class of I/O the client
+ * was unable to send to the mirror.
  *
  * Returns a pointer to a connected DS object on success or NULL on failure.
  */
@@ -397,7 +399,7 @@ nfs4_ff_layout_prepare_ds(struct pnfs_layout_segment *lseg,
 			  struct nfs4_ff_layout_mirror *mirror,
 			  struct nfs4_ff_layout_ds *mirror_ds,
 			  u32 dss_id,
-			  bool fail_return)
+			  enum nfs_opnum4 opnum)
 {
 	struct nfs4_pnfs_ds *ds;
 	struct inode *ino = lseg->pls_layout->plh_inode;
@@ -448,9 +450,9 @@ nfs4_ff_layout_prepare_ds(struct pnfs_layout_segment *lseg,
 					NULL : &mirror_ds->id_node,
 				 dss_id, lseg->pls_range.offset,
 				 lseg->pls_range.length, NFS4ERR_NXIO,
-				 OP_ILLEGAL, GFP_NOIO);
+				 opnum, GFP_NOIO);
 	ff_layout_send_layouterror(lseg);
-	if (fail_return || !ff_layout_has_available_ds(lseg))
+	if (opnum != OP_READ || !ff_layout_has_available_ds(lseg))
 		pnfs_error_mark_layout_for_return(ino, lseg);
 	ds = ERR_PTR(status);
 out: