diff --git a/server/core/gateway.cc b/server/core/gateway.cc
index 9d53c128c..393f58811 100644
--- a/server/core/gateway.cc
+++ b/server/core/gateway.cc
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@
 #include "maxscale/config.h"
 #include "maxscale/dcb.h"
 #include "maxscale/maxscale.h"
+#include "maxscale/messagequeue.hh"
 #include "maxscale/modules.h"
 #include "maxscale/monitor.h"
 #include "maxscale/poll.h"
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@
 #include "maxscale/statistics.h"
 #include "maxscale/worker.hh"
 
-using maxscale::Worker;
+using namespace maxscale;
 
 #define STRING_BUFFER_SIZE 1024
 #define PIDFD_CLOSED -1
@@ -1890,6 +1891,13 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
         goto return_main;
     }
 
+    if (!MessageQueue::init())
+    {
+        MXS_ERROR("Failed to initialize message queue.");
+        rc = MAXSCALE_INTERNALERROR;
+        goto return_main;
+    }
+
     if (!Worker::init())
     {
         MXS_ERROR("Failed to initialize workers.");
@@ -2007,6 +2015,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     }
 
     Worker::finish();
+    MessageQueue::finish();
 
     /*<
      * Destroy the router and filter instances of all services.
diff --git a/server/core/maxscale/messagequeue.hh b/server/core/maxscale/messagequeue.hh
index 32a938358..d0d6c67ce 100644
--- a/server/core/maxscale/messagequeue.hh
+++ b/server/core/maxscale/messagequeue.hh
@@ -116,6 +116,21 @@ public:
     typedef MessageQueueHandler Handler;
     typedef MessageQueueMessage Message;
 
+    /**
+     * Initializes the message queue mechanism. To be called once at
+     * process startup.
+     *
+     * @return True if the initialization succeeded, false otherwise.
+     */
+    static bool init();
+
+
+    /**
+     * Finalizes the message queue mechanism. To be called once at
+     * process shutdown, if the initialization succeeded.
+     */
+    static void finish();
+
     /**
      * Creates a @c MessageQueue with the provided handler.
      *
diff --git a/server/core/messagequeue.cc b/server/core/messagequeue.cc
index 1b9db0996..c6680c72a 100644
--- a/server/core/messagequeue.cc
+++ b/server/core/messagequeue.cc
@@ -12,14 +12,31 @@
  */
 
 #include "maxscale/messagequeue.hh"
+#include <linux/version.h>
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
+#include <sys/utsname.h>
 #include <maxscale/debug.h>
 #include <maxscale/log_manager.h>
 #include "maxscale/worker.hh"
 
+namespace
+{
+
+struct
+{
+    bool initialized;
+    int  pipe_flags;
+} this_unit =
+{
+    false,
+    O_NONBLOCK | O_CLOEXEC
+};
+
+}
+
 namespace maxscale
 {
 
@@ -46,17 +63,89 @@ MessageQueue::~MessageQueue()
     close(m_write_fd);
 }
 
+//static
+bool MessageQueue::init()
+{
+    ss_dassert(!this_unit.initialized);
+
+    /* From "man 7 pipe"
+     * ----
+     *
+     * O_NONBLOCK enabled, n <= PIPE_BUF
+     *   If  there  is room to write n bytes to the pipe, then write(2)
+     *   succeeds immediately, writing all n bytes; otherwise write(2)
+     *   fails, with errno set to EAGAIN.
+     *
+     * ... (On Linux, PIPE_BUF is 4096 bytes.)
+     *
+     * ----
+     *
+     * As O_NONBLOCK is set and the messages are less than 4096 bytes,
+     * O_DIRECT should not be needed and we should be safe without it.
+     *
+     * However, to be in the safe side, if we run on kernel version >= 3.4
+     * we use it.
+     */
+
+    utsname u;
+
+    if (uname(&u) == 0)
+    {
+        char* p;
+        char* zMajor = strtok_r(u.release, ".", &p);
+        char* zMinor = strtok_r(NULL, ".", &p);
+
+        if (zMajor && zMinor)
+        {
+            int major = atoi(zMajor);
+            int minor = atoi(zMinor);
+
+            if (major >= 3 && minor >= 4)
+            {
+                // O_DIRECT for pipes is supported from kernel 3.4 onwards.
+                this_unit.pipe_flags |= O_DIRECT;
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                MXS_NOTICE("O_DIRECT is not supported for pipes on Linux kernel %s "
+                           "(supported from version 3.4 onwards), NOT using it.",
+                           u.release);
+            }
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            MXS_WARNING("Syntax used in utsname.release seems to have changed, "
+                        "not able to figure out current kernel version. Assuming "
+                        "O_DIRECT is not supported for pipes.");
+        }
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        MXS_WARNING("uname() failed, assuming O_DIRECT is not supported for pipes: %s",
+                    mxs_strerror(errno));
+    }
+
+    this_unit.initialized = true;
+
+    return this_unit.initialized;
+}
+
+//static
+void MessageQueue::finish()
+{
+    ss_dassert(this_unit.initialized);
+    this_unit.initialized = false;
+}
+
 //static
 MessageQueue* MessageQueue::create(Handler* pHandler)
 {
+    ss_dassert(this_unit.initialized);
+
     MessageQueue* pThis = NULL;
 
-    // We create the pipe in message mode (O_DIRECT), so that we do
-    // not need to deal with partial messages and as non blocking so
-    // that the descriptor can be added to an epoll instance.
-
     int fds[2];
-    if (pipe2(fds, O_DIRECT | O_NONBLOCK | O_CLOEXEC) == 0)
+    if (pipe2(fds, this_unit.pipe_flags) == 0)
     {
         int read_fd = fds[0];
         int write_fd = fds[1];