diff --git a/include/page-pipe.h b/include/page-pipe.h
index 393627bfe..a2dc26852 100644
--- a/include/page-pipe.h
+++ b/include/page-pipe.h
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ struct page_pipe_buf {
 struct page_pipe {
 	unsigned int nr_pipes;	/* how many page_pipe_bufs in there */
 	struct list_head bufs;	/* list of bufs */
+	struct list_head free_bufs;	/* list of bufs */
 	unsigned int nr_iovs;	/* number of iovs */
 	unsigned int free_iov;	/* first free iov */
 	struct iovec *iovs;	/* iovs. They are provided into create_page_pipe
@@ -89,13 +90,18 @@ struct page_pipe {
 	unsigned int nr_holes;	/* number of holes allocated */
 	unsigned int free_hole;	/* number of holes in use */
 	struct iovec *holes;	/* holes */
+
+	bool chunk_mode;	/* Restrict the maximum buffer size of pipes
+				   and dump memory for a few iterations */
 };
 
-extern struct page_pipe *create_page_pipe(unsigned int nr, struct iovec *);
+extern struct page_pipe *create_page_pipe(unsigned int nr,
+					  struct iovec *, bool chunk_mode);
 extern void destroy_page_pipe(struct page_pipe *p);
 extern int page_pipe_add_page(struct page_pipe *p, unsigned long addr);
 extern int page_pipe_add_hole(struct page_pipe *p, unsigned long addr);
 
 extern void debug_show_page_pipe(struct page_pipe *pp);
+void page_pipe_reinit(struct page_pipe *pp);
 
 #endif /* __CR_PAGE_PIPE_H__ */
diff --git a/mem.c b/mem.c
index 02cb8df3e..151ec446f 100644
--- a/mem.c
+++ b/mem.c
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ static int __parasite_dump_pages_seized(struct parasite_ctl *ctl,
 		goto out_free;
 
 	ret = -1;
-	pp = create_page_pipe(vma_area_list->priv_size / 2, pargs_iovs(args));
+	pp = create_page_pipe(vma_area_list->priv_size / 2, pargs_iovs(args), false);
 	if (!pp)
 		goto out_close;
 
diff --git a/page-pipe.c b/page-pipe.c
index bfe1989c0..3736c2890 100644
--- a/page-pipe.c
+++ b/page-pipe.c
@@ -7,12 +7,24 @@
 #include "util.h"
 #include "page-pipe.h"
 
+/* The number of pipes for one chunk */
+#define NR_PIPES_PER_CHUNK 8
+
 static int page_pipe_grow(struct page_pipe *pp)
 {
 	struct page_pipe_buf *ppb;
 
 	pr_debug("Will grow page pipe (iov off is %u)\n", pp->free_iov);
 
+	if (!list_empty(&pp->free_bufs)) {
+		ppb = list_first_entry(&pp->free_bufs, struct page_pipe_buf, l);
+		list_move_tail(&ppb->l, &pp->bufs);
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	if (pp->chunk_mode && pp->nr_pipes == NR_PIPES_PER_CHUNK)
+		return -EAGAIN;
+
 	ppb = xmalloc(sizeof(*ppb));
 	if (!ppb)
 		return -1;
@@ -24,17 +36,20 @@ static int page_pipe_grow(struct page_pipe *pp)
 	}
 
 	ppb->pipe_size = fcntl(ppb->p[0], F_GETPIPE_SZ, 0) / PAGE_SIZE;
+
+	list_add_tail(&ppb->l, &pp->bufs);
+out:
 	ppb->pages_in = 0;
 	ppb->nr_segs = 0;
 	ppb->iov = &pp->iovs[pp->free_iov];
 
-	list_add_tail(&ppb->l, &pp->bufs);
 	pp->nr_pipes++;
 
 	return 0;
 }
 
-struct page_pipe *create_page_pipe(unsigned int nr_segs, struct iovec *iovs)
+struct page_pipe *create_page_pipe(unsigned int nr_segs,
+				   struct iovec *iovs, bool chunk_mode)
 {
 	struct page_pipe *pp;
 
@@ -44,6 +59,7 @@ struct page_pipe *create_page_pipe(unsigned int nr_segs, struct iovec *iovs)
 	if (pp) {
 		pp->nr_pipes = 0;
 		INIT_LIST_HEAD(&pp->bufs);
+		INIT_LIST_HEAD(&pp->free_bufs);
 		pp->nr_iovs = nr_segs;
 		pp->iovs = iovs;
 		pp->free_iov = 0;
@@ -52,6 +68,8 @@ struct page_pipe *create_page_pipe(unsigned int nr_segs, struct iovec *iovs)
 		pp->free_hole = 0;
 		pp->holes = NULL;
 
+		pp->chunk_mode = chunk_mode;
+
 		if (page_pipe_grow(pp))
 			return NULL;
 	}
@@ -65,6 +83,7 @@ void destroy_page_pipe(struct page_pipe *pp)
 
 	pr_debug("Killing page pipe\n");
 
+	list_splice(&pp->free_bufs, &pp->bufs);
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(ppb, n, &pp->bufs, l) {
 		close(ppb->p[0]);
 		close(ppb->p[1]);
@@ -74,6 +93,40 @@ void destroy_page_pipe(struct page_pipe *pp)
 	xfree(pp);
 }
 
+void page_pipe_reinit(struct page_pipe *pp)
+{
+	struct page_pipe_buf *ppb, *n;
+
+	BUG_ON(!pp->chunk_mode);
+
+	pr_debug("Clean up page pipe\n");
+
+	list_for_each_entry_safe(ppb, n, &pp->bufs, l)
+		list_move(&ppb->l, &pp->free_bufs);
+
+	pp->free_hole = 0;
+
+	if (page_pipe_grow(pp))
+		BUG(); /* It can't fail, because ppb is in free_bufs */
+}
+
+#define PAGE_ALLOC_COSTLY_ORDER 3 /* from the kernel source code */
+struct kernel_pipe_buffer {
+        struct page *page;
+        unsigned int offset, len;
+        const struct pipe_buf_operations *ops;
+        unsigned int flags;
+        unsigned long private;
+};
+
+/*
+ * The kernel allocates the linear chunk of memory for pipe buffers.
+ * Allocation of chunks with size more than PAGE_ALLOC_COSTLY_ORDER
+ * fails very often, so we need to restrict the pipe capacity to not
+ * allocate big chunks.
+ */
+#define PIPE_MAX_SIZE ((1 << PAGE_ALLOC_COSTLY_ORDER) * PAGE_SIZE /	\
+			sizeof(struct kernel_pipe_buffer))
 #define PPB_IOV_BATCH	8
 
 static inline int try_add_page_to(struct page_pipe *pp, struct page_pipe_buf *ppb,
@@ -82,9 +135,13 @@ static inline int try_add_page_to(struct page_pipe *pp, struct page_pipe_buf *pp
 	struct iovec *iov;
 
 	if (ppb->pages_in == ppb->pipe_size) {
+		unsigned long new_size = ppb->pipe_size << 1;
 		int ret;
 
-		ret = fcntl(ppb->p[0], F_SETPIPE_SZ, (ppb->pipe_size * PAGE_SIZE) << 1);
+		if (new_size > PIPE_MAX_SIZE)
+			return 1;
+
+		ret = fcntl(ppb->p[0], F_SETPIPE_SZ, new_size * PAGE_SIZE);
 		if (ret < 0)
 			return 1; /* need to add another buf */
 
diff --git a/shmem.c b/shmem.c
index 1deb5918c..0c1a97fa3 100644
--- a/shmem.c
+++ b/shmem.c
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ static int dump_one_shmem(struct shmem_info_dump *si)
 	if (!iovs)
 		goto err_unmap;
 
-	pp = create_page_pipe((nrpages + 1) / 2, iovs);
+	pp = create_page_pipe((nrpages + 1) / 2, iovs, false);
 	if (!pp)
 		goto err_iovs;