diff --git a/lib/activate/activate.c b/lib/activate/activate.c
index 311cbb4a6..0c7a49a2c 100644
--- a/lib/activate/activate.c
+++ b/lib/activate/activate.c
@@ -672,13 +672,13 @@ int target_present(struct cmd_context *cmd, const char *target_name,
 				      &maj, &min, &patchlevel);
 }
 
-int get_device_list(const struct volume_group *vg, struct dm_list **devs,
-		    unsigned *devs_features)
+int get_dm_active_devices(const struct volume_group *vg, struct dm_list **devs,
+			  unsigned *devs_features)
 {
 	if (!activation())
 		return 0;
 
-	return dev_manager_get_device_list(NULL, devs, devs_features);
+	return dev_manager_get_dm_active_devices(NULL, devs, devs_features);
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/lib/activate/activate.h b/lib/activate/activate.h
index ca8b6e695..b9798ed48 100644
--- a/lib/activate/activate.h
+++ b/lib/activate/activate.h
@@ -107,10 +107,12 @@ int target_present(struct cmd_context *cmd, const char *target_name,
 int target_version(const char *target_name, uint32_t *maj,
 		   uint32_t *min, uint32_t *patchlevel);
 
-int get_device_list(const struct volume_group *vg, struct dm_list **devs,
+int get_dm_active_devices(const struct volume_group *vg, struct dm_list **devs,
 		    unsigned *devs_features);
-int device_get_uuid(struct cmd_context *cmd, int major, int minor,
-		    char *uuid_buf, size_t uuid_buf_size);
+int devno_dm_uuid(struct cmd_context *cmd, int major, int minor,
+		  char *uuid_buf, size_t uuid_buf_size);
+int dev_dm_uuid(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device *dev,
+                char *uuid_buf, size_t uuid_buf_size);
 
 int raid4_is_supported(struct cmd_context *cmd, const struct segment_type *segtype);
 int lvm_dm_prefix_check(int major, int minor, const char *prefix);
diff --git a/lib/activate/dev_manager.c b/lib/activate/dev_manager.c
index 35e720c84..745fa262d 100644
--- a/lib/activate/dev_manager.c
+++ b/lib/activate/dev_manager.c
@@ -888,8 +888,8 @@ int device_is_usable(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device *dev, struct dev_usa
 }
 
 /* Read UUID from a given DM device into  buf_uuid */
-int device_get_uuid(struct cmd_context *cmd, int major, int minor,
-		    char *uuid_buf, size_t uuid_buf_size)
+int devno_dm_uuid(struct cmd_context *cmd, int major, int minor,
+		  char *uuid_buf, size_t uuid_buf_size)
 {
 	struct dm_task *dmt;
 	struct dm_info info;
@@ -918,6 +918,13 @@ int device_get_uuid(struct cmd_context *cmd, int major, int minor,
 	return r;
 }
 
+int dev_dm_uuid(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device *dev,
+		char *uuid_buf, size_t uuid_buf_size)
+{
+	return devno_dm_uuid(cmd, MAJOR(dev->dev), MINOR(dev->dev),
+			     uuid_buf, uuid_buf_size);
+}
+
 /*
  * If active LVs were activated by a version of LVM2 before 2.02.00 we must
  * perform additional checks to find them because they do not have the LVM-
@@ -1036,7 +1043,12 @@ int dev_manager_check_prefix_dm_major_minor(uint32_t major, uint32_t minor, cons
 	return r;
 }
 
-int dev_manager_get_device_list(const char *prefix, struct dm_list **devs, unsigned *devs_features)
+/*
+ * Get a list of active dm devices from the kernel.
+ * The 'devs' list contains a struct dm_active_device.
+ */
+
+int dev_manager_get_dm_active_devices(const char *prefix, struct dm_list **devs, unsigned *devs_features)
 {
 	struct dm_task *dmt;
 	int r = 1;
diff --git a/lib/activate/dev_manager.h b/lib/activate/dev_manager.h
index 59f45b6f1..353c3c7d2 100644
--- a/lib/activate/dev_manager.h
+++ b/lib/activate/dev_manager.h
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ int dev_manager_device_uses_vg(struct device *dev,
 int dev_manager_remove_dm_major_minor(uint32_t major, uint32_t minor);
 
 int dev_manager_check_prefix_dm_major_minor(uint32_t major, uint32_t minor, const char *prefix);
-int dev_manager_get_device_list(const char *prefix, struct dm_list **devs,
-				unsigned *devs_features);
+int dev_manager_get_dm_active_devices(const char *prefix, struct dm_list **devs,
+				      unsigned *devs_features);
 
 #endif
diff --git a/lib/device/dev-cache.c b/lib/device/dev-cache.c
index 7e6d59191..217a45e71 100644
--- a/lib/device/dev-cache.c
+++ b/lib/device/dev-cache.c
@@ -593,7 +593,7 @@ static int _get_vgid_and_lvid_for_dev(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device *de
 	char uuid[DM_UUID_LEN];
 	size_t uuid_len;
 
-	if (!device_get_uuid(cmd, MAJOR(dev->dev), MINOR(dev->dev), uuid, sizeof(uuid)))
+	if (!dev_dm_uuid(cmd, dev, uuid, sizeof(uuid)))
 		return_0;
 
 	uuid_len = strlen(uuid);
@@ -1343,7 +1343,7 @@ int dev_cache_update_dm_devs(struct cmd_context *cmd)
 		_cache.dm_uuids = NULL;
 	}
 
-	if (!get_device_list(NULL, &cmd->cache_dm_devs, &devs_features))
+	if (!get_dm_active_devices(NULL, &cmd->cache_dm_devs, &devs_features))
 		return 1;
 
 	if (!(devs_features & DM_DEVICE_LIST_HAS_UUID)) {
diff --git a/lib/device/dev-mpath.c b/lib/device/dev-mpath.c
index 01fc4c89f..e13c0bf21 100644
--- a/lib/device/dev-mpath.c
+++ b/lib/device/dev-mpath.c
@@ -535,7 +535,7 @@ static int _dev_is_mpath_component_sysfs(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device
 
 		/* Check whether holder's UUID uses MPATH prefix */
 		/* TODO: reuse/merge with dev_has_mpath_uuid() as this function also recognizes kpartx partition */
-		if (device_get_uuid(cmd, dm_dev_major, dm_dev_minor, uuid, sizeof(uuid)) &&
+		if (devno_dm_uuid(cmd, dm_dev_major, dm_dev_minor, uuid, sizeof(uuid)) &&
 		    !strncmp(uuid, MPATH_PREFIX, sizeof(MPATH_PREFIX) - 1)) {
 			log_debug_devs("dev_is_mpath_component %s holder %s %u:%u ignore mpath component",
 					dev_name(dev), holder_name, dm_dev_major, dm_dev_minor);
diff --git a/lib/device/dev-type.c b/lib/device/dev-type.c
index 748d1d75a..c7c2a838d 100644
--- a/lib/device/dev-type.c
+++ b/lib/device/dev-type.c
@@ -55,8 +55,7 @@ int dev_is_lv(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device *dev)
 {
 	char buffer[128];
 
-	if (device_get_uuid(cmd, MAJOR(dev->dev), MINOR(dev->dev),
-			    buffer, sizeof(buffer)) &&
+	if (dev_dm_uuid(cmd, dev, buffer, sizeof(buffer)) &&
 	    !strncmp(buffer, UUID_PREFIX, sizeof(UUID_PREFIX) - 1))
                 return 1;
 
@@ -128,7 +127,7 @@ int dev_is_used_by_active_lv(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device *dev, int *u
 		 * by reading DM status and seeing if the uuid begins
 		 * with UUID_PREFIX  ("LVM-")
 		 */
-		if (!device_get_uuid(cmd, dm_dev_major, dm_dev_minor, dm_uuid, sizeof(dm_uuid)))
+		if (!devno_dm_uuid(cmd, dm_dev_major, dm_dev_minor, dm_uuid, sizeof(dm_uuid)))
 			continue;
 
 		if (!strncmp(dm_uuid, UUID_PREFIX, lvm_prefix_len))
diff --git a/lib/device/device_id.c b/lib/device/device_id.c
index ea15fa303..b3330f2ba 100644
--- a/lib/device/device_id.c
+++ b/lib/device/device_id.c
@@ -512,7 +512,7 @@ int dev_has_mpath_uuid(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device *dev, char **idnam
 	char uuid[DM_UUID_LEN];
 	char *idname;
 
-	if (!device_get_uuid(cmd, MAJOR(dev->dev), MINOR(dev->dev), uuid, sizeof(uuid)))
+	if (!dev_dm_uuid(cmd, dev, uuid, sizeof(uuid)))
 		return_0;
 
 	if (!_dm_uuid_has_prefix(uuid, "mpath-"))
@@ -531,7 +531,7 @@ static int _dev_has_crypt_uuid(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device *dev, char
 	char uuid[DM_UUID_LEN];
 	char *idname;
 
-	if (!device_get_uuid(cmd, MAJOR(dev->dev), MINOR(dev->dev), uuid, sizeof(uuid)))
+	if (!dev_dm_uuid(cmd, dev, uuid, sizeof(uuid)))
 		return_0;
 
 	if (!_dm_uuid_has_prefix(uuid, "CRYPT-"))
@@ -550,7 +550,7 @@ static int _dev_has_lvmlv_uuid(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device *dev, char
 	char uuid[DM_UUID_LEN];
 	char *idname;
 
-	if (!device_get_uuid(cmd, MAJOR(dev->dev), MINOR(dev->dev), uuid, sizeof(uuid)))
+	if (!dev_dm_uuid(cmd, dev, uuid, sizeof(uuid)))
 		return_0;
 
 	if (!_dm_uuid_has_prefix(uuid, UUID_PREFIX))
@@ -786,7 +786,7 @@ char *device_id_system_read(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device *dev, uint16_
 	case DEV_ID_TYPE_MPATH_UUID:
 	case DEV_ID_TYPE_CRYPT_UUID:
 	case DEV_ID_TYPE_LVMLV_UUID:
-		(void)device_get_uuid(cmd, MAJOR(dev->dev), MINOR(dev->dev), sysbuf, sizeof(sysbuf));
+		(void)dev_dm_uuid(cmd, dev, sysbuf, sizeof(sysbuf));
                 break;
 	case DEV_ID_TYPE_MD_UUID:
 		read_sys_block(cmd, dev, "md/uuid", sysbuf, sizeof(sysbuf));
@@ -1005,7 +1005,7 @@ static int _dev_has_stable_id(struct cmd_context *cmd, struct device *dev)
 	}
 
 	if ((MAJOR(dev->dev) == cmd->dev_types->device_mapper_major)) {
-		if (!device_get_uuid(cmd, MAJOR(dev->dev), MINOR(dev->dev), sysbuf, sizeof(sysbuf)))
+		if (!dev_dm_uuid(cmd, dev, sysbuf, sizeof(sysbuf)))
 			goto_out;
 
 		if (_dm_uuid_has_prefix(sysbuf, "mpath-"))
diff --git a/lib/label/label.c b/lib/label/label.c
index 20ac1bdc8..d1e175cad 100644
--- a/lib/label/label.c
+++ b/lib/label/label.c
@@ -1257,8 +1257,12 @@ int label_scan(struct cmd_context *cmd)
 	if (!label_scan_setup_bcache())
 		return_0;
 
-	/* Initialize dm device cache early so
-	 * 'Hints' file processing can also use it */
+	/*
+	 * Initialize cache of dm device uuids, which uses a special dm kernel
+	 * feature for efficiently querying many dm devs together.  (It's done
+	 * here, before processing the hints file, so that the dm uuid checks
+	 * in hint processing can benefit from the dm uuid cache.)
+	 */
 	if (!dev_cache_update_dm_devs(cmd))
 		return_0;
 
diff --git a/tools/toollib.c b/tools/toollib.c
index 0e684e8de..62cc5cf65 100644
--- a/tools/toollib.c
+++ b/tools/toollib.c
@@ -6066,7 +6066,7 @@ int get_rootvg_dev_uuid(struct cmd_context *cmd, char **dm_uuid_out)
 	if (stat(me->mnt_dir, &info) < 0)
 		return_0;
 
-	if (!device_get_uuid(cmd, MAJOR(info.st_dev), MINOR(info.st_dev), dm_uuid, sizeof(dm_uuid)))
+	if (!devno_dm_uuid(cmd, MAJOR(info.st_dev), MINOR(info.st_dev), dm_uuid, sizeof(dm_uuid)))
 		return_0;
 
 	log_debug("Found root dm_uuid %s", dm_uuid);