diff --git a/fs/kernfs/dir.c b/fs/kernfs/dir.c
index 8ad7a17895fe..33f711f6b86e 100644
--- a/fs/kernfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/kernfs/dir.c
@@ -623,6 +623,8 @@ static struct kernfs_node *__kernfs_new_node(struct kernfs_root *root,
 					     unsigned flags)
 {
 	struct kernfs_node *kn;
+	u32 gen;
+	int cursor;
 	int ret;
 
 	name = kstrdup_const(name, GFP_KERNEL);
@@ -635,12 +637,17 @@ static struct kernfs_node *__kernfs_new_node(struct kernfs_root *root,
 
 	idr_preload(GFP_KERNEL);
 	spin_lock(&kernfs_idr_lock);
-	ret = idr_alloc(&root->ino_idr, kn, 1, 0, GFP_ATOMIC);
+	cursor = idr_get_cursor(&root->ino_idr);
+	ret = idr_alloc_cyclic(&root->ino_idr, kn, 1, 0, GFP_ATOMIC);
+	if (ret >= 0 && ret < cursor)
+		root->next_generation++;
+	gen = root->next_generation;
 	spin_unlock(&kernfs_idr_lock);
 	idr_preload_end();
 	if (ret < 0)
 		goto err_out2;
 	kn->ino = ret;
+	kn->generation = gen;
 
 	atomic_set(&kn->count, 1);
 	atomic_set(&kn->active, KN_DEACTIVATED_BIAS);
@@ -884,6 +891,7 @@ struct kernfs_root *kernfs_create_root(struct kernfs_syscall_ops *scops,
 
 	idr_init(&root->ino_idr);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&root->supers);
+	root->next_generation = 1;
 
 	kn = __kernfs_new_node(root, "", S_IFDIR | S_IRUGO | S_IXUGO,
 			       KERNFS_DIR);
diff --git a/fs/kernfs/inode.c b/fs/kernfs/inode.c
index fb4b4a79a0d6..79cdae4758fb 100644
--- a/fs/kernfs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/kernfs/inode.c
@@ -220,6 +220,7 @@ static void kernfs_init_inode(struct kernfs_node *kn, struct inode *inode)
 	inode->i_private = kn;
 	inode->i_mapping->a_ops = &kernfs_aops;
 	inode->i_op = &kernfs_iops;
+	inode->i_generation = kn->generation;
 
 	set_default_inode_attr(inode, kn->mode);
 	kernfs_refresh_inode(kn, inode);
diff --git a/include/linux/kernfs.h b/include/linux/kernfs.h
index 5f5d602eb433..8c00d28f468a 100644
--- a/include/linux/kernfs.h
+++ b/include/linux/kernfs.h
@@ -135,6 +135,7 @@ struct kernfs_node {
 	umode_t			mode;
 	unsigned int		ino;
 	struct kernfs_iattrs	*iattr;
+	u32			generation;
 };
 
 /*
@@ -164,6 +165,7 @@ struct kernfs_root {
 
 	/* private fields, do not use outside kernfs proper */
 	struct idr		ino_idr;
+	u32			next_generation;
 	struct kernfs_syscall_ops *syscall_ops;
 
 	/* list of kernfs_super_info of this root, protected by kernfs_mutex */