diff --git a/lib/device/dev-md.c b/lib/device/dev-md.c
index a8bbe8184..84d9ce360 100644
--- a/lib/device/dev-md.c
+++ b/lib/device/dev-md.c
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ static int _md_sysfs_attribute_snprintf(char *path, size_t size,
 
 	if (MAJOR(dev) == dt->blkext_major) {
 		/* lookup parent MD device from blkext partition */
-		if (!dev_get_primary_dev(dt, blkdev, &dev))
+		if (dev_get_primary_dev(dt, blkdev, &dev) < 1)
 			return ret;
 	}
 
diff --git a/lib/device/dev-type.c b/lib/device/dev-type.c
index 150daf49b..92120e8f7 100644
--- a/lib/device/dev-type.c
+++ b/lib/device/dev-type.c
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ int dev_subsystem_part_major(struct dev_types *dt, struct device *dev)
 		return 1;
 
 	if ((MAJOR(dev->dev) == dt->blkext_major) &&
-	    (dev_get_primary_dev(dt, dev, &primary_dev)) &&
+	    (dev_get_primary_dev(dt, dev, &primary_dev) > 0) &&
 	    (MAJOR(primary_dev) == dt->md_major))
 		return 1;
 
@@ -318,28 +318,60 @@ int dev_is_partitioned(struct dev_types *dt, struct device *dev)
 	return _has_partition_table(dev);
 }
 
+/*
+ * Get primary dev for the dev supplied.
+ * Returns:
+ *   0 if the dev is already a primary dev
+ *   1 if the dev is a partition, primary dev in result
+ *   -1 on error
+ */
 int dev_get_primary_dev(struct dev_types *dt, struct device *dev, dev_t *result)
 {
 	const char *sysfs_dir = dm_sysfs_dir();
+	int major = (int) MAJOR(dev->dev);
+	int minor = (int) MINOR(dev->dev);
 	char path[PATH_MAX+1];
 	char temp_path[PATH_MAX+1];
 	char buffer[64];
 	struct stat info;
-	FILE *fp;
-	uint32_t pri_maj, pri_min;
-	int size, ret = 0;
+	FILE *fp = NULL;
+	int parts, residue, size, ret = -1;
+
+	/*
+	 * Try to get the primary dev out of the
+	 * list of known device types first.
+	 */
+	if ((parts = dt->dev_type_array[major].max_partitions) > 1) {
+		if ((residue = minor % parts)) {
+			*result = MKDEV((dev_t)major, (minor - residue));
+			ret = 1;
+		} else {
+			*result = dev->dev;
+			ret = 0; /* dev is not a partition! */
+		}
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * If we can't get the primary dev out of the list of known device
+	 * types, try to look at sysfs directly then. This is more complex
+	 * way and it also requires certain sysfs layout to be present
+	 * which might not be there in old kernels!
+	 */
 
 	/* check if dev is a partition */
 	if (dm_snprintf(path, PATH_MAX, "%s/dev/block/%d:%d/partition",
-			sysfs_dir, (int)MAJOR(dev->dev), (int)MINOR(dev->dev)) < 0) {
+			sysfs_dir, major, minor) < 0) {
 		log_error("dm_snprintf partition failed");
-		return ret;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
 	if (stat(path, &info) == -1) {
 		if (errno != ENOENT)
 			log_sys_error("stat", path);
-		return ret;
+		*result = dev->dev;
+		ret = 0; goto out; /* dev is not a partition! */
+
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -351,7 +383,7 @@ int dev_get_primary_dev(struct dev_types *dt, struct device *dev, dev_t *result)
 	 */
 	if ((size = readlink(dirname(path), temp_path, PATH_MAX)) < 0) {
 		log_sys_error("readlink", path);
-		return ret;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
 	temp_path[size] = '\0';
@@ -359,7 +391,7 @@ int dev_get_primary_dev(struct dev_types *dt, struct device *dev, dev_t *result)
 	if (dm_snprintf(path, PATH_MAX, "%s/block/%s/dev",
 			sysfs_dir, basename(dirname(temp_path))) < 0) {
 		log_error("dm_snprintf dev failed");
-		return ret;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
 	/* finally, parse 'dev' attribute and create corresponding dev_t */
@@ -368,13 +400,13 @@ int dev_get_primary_dev(struct dev_types *dt, struct device *dev, dev_t *result)
 			log_error("sysfs file %s does not exist", path);
 		else
 			log_sys_error("stat", path);
-		return ret;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
 	fp = fopen(path, "r");
 	if (!fp) {
 		log_sys_error("fopen", path);
-		return ret;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
 	if (!fgets(buffer, sizeof(buffer), fp)) {
@@ -382,16 +414,15 @@ int dev_get_primary_dev(struct dev_types *dt, struct device *dev, dev_t *result)
 		goto out;
 	}
 
-	if (sscanf(buffer, "%d:%d", &pri_maj, &pri_min) != 2) {
+	if (sscanf(buffer, "%d:%d", &major, &minor) != 2) {
 		log_error("sysfs file %s not in expected MAJ:MIN format: %s",
 			  path, buffer);
 		goto out;
 	}
-	*result = MKDEV((dev_t)pri_maj, pri_min);
+	*result = MKDEV((dev_t)major, minor);
 	ret = 1;
-
 out:
-	if (fclose(fp))
+	if (fp && fclose(fp))
 		log_sys_error("fclose", path);
 
 	return ret;
@@ -615,7 +646,7 @@ static unsigned long _dev_topology_attribute(struct dev_types *dt,
 			log_sys_error("stat", path);
 			return 0;
 		}
-		if (!dev_get_primary_dev(dt, dev, &primary))
+		if (dev_get_primary_dev(dt, dev, &primary) < 0)
 			return 0;
 
 		/* get attribute from partition's primary device */