diff --git a/include/qemu/throttle.h b/include/qemu/throttle.h
index 8ec8951..63df690 100644
--- a/include/qemu/throttle.h
+++ b/include/qemu/throttle.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  * QEMU throttling infrastructure
  *
  * Copyright (C) Nodalink, EURL. 2013-2014
- * Copyright (C) Igalia, S.L. 2015
+ * Copyright (C) Igalia, S.L. 2015-2016
  *
  * Authors:
  *   Benoît Canet <benoit.canet@nodalink.com>
@@ -42,16 +42,47 @@ typedef enum {
 } BucketType;
 
 /*
- * The max parameter of the leaky bucket throttling algorithm can be used to
- * allow the guest to do bursts.
- * The max value is a pool of I/O that the guest can use without being throttled
- * at all. Throttling is triggered once this pool is empty.
+ * This module implements I/O limits using the leaky bucket
+ * algorithm. The code is independent of the I/O units, but it is
+ * currently used for bytes per second and operations per second.
+ *
+ * Three parameters can be set by the user:
+ *
+ * - avg: the desired I/O limits in units per second.
+ * - max: the limit during bursts, also in units per second.
+ * - burst_length: the maximum length of the burst period, in seconds.
+ *
+ * Here's how it works:
+ *
+ * - The bucket level (number of performed I/O units) is kept in
+ *   bkt.level and leaks at a rate of bkt.avg units per second.
+ *
+ * - The size of the bucket is bkt.max * bkt.burst_length. Once the
+ *   bucket is full no more I/O is performed until the bucket leaks
+ *   again. This is what makes the I/O rate bkt.avg.
+ *
+ * - The bkt.avg rate does not apply until the bucket is full,
+ *   allowing the user to do bursts until then. The I/O limit during
+ *   bursts is bkt.max. To enforce this limit we keep an additional
+ *   bucket in bkt.burst_length that leaks at a rate of bkt.max units
+ *   per second.
+ *
+ * - Because of all of the above, the user can perform I/O at a
+ *   maximum of bkt.max units per second for at most bkt.burst_length
+ *   seconds in a row. After that the bucket will be full and the I/O
+ *   rate will go down to bkt.avg.
+ *
+ * - Since the bucket always leaks at a rate of bkt.avg, this also
+ *   determines how much the user needs to wait before being able to
+ *   do bursts again.
  */
 
 typedef struct LeakyBucket {
     double  avg;              /* average goal in units per second */
     double  max;              /* leaky bucket max burst in units */
     double  level;            /* bucket level in units */
+    double  burst_level;      /* bucket level in units (for computing bursts) */
+    unsigned burst_length;    /* max length of the burst period, in seconds */
 } LeakyBucket;
 
 /* The following structure is used to configure a ThrottleState
diff --git a/util/throttle.c b/util/throttle.c
index 6a01cee..371c769 100644
--- a/util/throttle.c
+++ b/util/throttle.c
@@ -41,6 +41,14 @@ void throttle_leak_bucket(LeakyBucket *bkt, int64_t delta_ns)
 
     /* make the bucket leak */
     bkt->level = MAX(bkt->level - leak, 0);
+
+    /* if we allow bursts for more than one second we also need to
+     * keep track of bkt->burst_level so the bkt->max goal per second
+     * is attained */
+    if (bkt->burst_length > 1) {
+        leak = (bkt->max * (double) delta_ns) / NANOSECONDS_PER_SECOND;
+        bkt->burst_level = MAX(bkt->burst_level - leak, 0);
+    }
 }
 
 /* Calculate the time delta since last leak and make proportionals leaks
@@ -91,13 +99,24 @@ int64_t throttle_compute_wait(LeakyBucket *bkt)
         return 0;
     }
 
-    extra = bkt->level - bkt->max;
+    /* If the bucket is full then we have to wait */
+    extra = bkt->level - bkt->max * bkt->burst_length;
+    if (extra > 0) {
+        return throttle_do_compute_wait(bkt->avg, extra);
+    }
 
-    if (extra <= 0) {
-        return 0;
+    /* If the bucket is not full yet we have to make sure that we
+     * fulfill the goal of bkt->max units per second. */
+    if (bkt->burst_length > 1) {
+        /* We use 1/10 of the max value to smooth the throttling.
+         * See throttle_fix_bucket() for more details. */
+        extra = bkt->burst_level - bkt->max / 10;
+        if (extra > 0) {
+            return throttle_do_compute_wait(bkt->max, extra);
+        }
     }
 
-    return throttle_do_compute_wait(bkt->avg, extra);
+    return 0;
 }
 
 /* This function compute the time that must be waited while this IO
@@ -177,7 +196,11 @@ void throttle_timers_attach_aio_context(ThrottleTimers *tt,
  */
 void throttle_config_init(ThrottleConfig *cfg)
 {
+    unsigned i;
     memset(cfg, 0, sizeof(*cfg));
+    for (i = 0; i < BUCKETS_COUNT; i++) {
+        cfg->buckets[i].burst_length = 1;
+    }
 }
 
 /* To be called first on the ThrottleState */
@@ -301,6 +324,16 @@ bool throttle_is_valid(ThrottleConfig *cfg, Error **errp)
             return false;
         }
 
+        if (!cfg->buckets[i].burst_length) {
+            error_setg(errp, "the burst length cannot be 0");
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        if (cfg->buckets[i].burst_length > 1 && !cfg->buckets[i].max) {
+            error_setg(errp, "burst length set without burst rate");
+            return false;
+        }
+
         if (cfg->buckets[i].max && !cfg->buckets[i].avg) {
             error_setg(errp, "bps_max/iops_max require corresponding"
                        " bps/iops values");
@@ -317,7 +350,7 @@ static void throttle_fix_bucket(LeakyBucket *bkt)
     double min;
 
     /* zero bucket level */
-    bkt->level = 0;
+    bkt->level = bkt->burst_level = 0;
 
     /* The following is done to cope with the Linux CFQ block scheduler
      * which regroup reads and writes by block of 100ms in the guest.
@@ -420,22 +453,36 @@ bool throttle_schedule_timer(ThrottleState *ts,
  */
 void throttle_account(ThrottleState *ts, bool is_write, uint64_t size)
 {
+    const BucketType bucket_types_size[2][2] = {
+        { THROTTLE_BPS_TOTAL, THROTTLE_BPS_READ },
+        { THROTTLE_BPS_TOTAL, THROTTLE_BPS_WRITE }
+    };
+    const BucketType bucket_types_units[2][2] = {
+        { THROTTLE_OPS_TOTAL, THROTTLE_OPS_READ },
+        { THROTTLE_OPS_TOTAL, THROTTLE_OPS_WRITE }
+    };
     double units = 1.0;
+    unsigned i;
 
     /* if cfg.op_size is defined and smaller than size we compute unit count */
     if (ts->cfg.op_size && size > ts->cfg.op_size) {
         units = (double) size / ts->cfg.op_size;
     }
 
-    ts->cfg.buckets[THROTTLE_BPS_TOTAL].level += size;
-    ts->cfg.buckets[THROTTLE_OPS_TOTAL].level += units;
+    for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
+        LeakyBucket *bkt;
+
+        bkt = &ts->cfg.buckets[bucket_types_size[is_write][i]];
+        bkt->level += size;
+        if (bkt->burst_length > 1) {
+            bkt->burst_level += size;
+        }
 
-    if (is_write) {
-        ts->cfg.buckets[THROTTLE_BPS_WRITE].level += size;
-        ts->cfg.buckets[THROTTLE_OPS_WRITE].level += units;
-    } else {
-        ts->cfg.buckets[THROTTLE_BPS_READ].level += size;
-        ts->cfg.buckets[THROTTLE_OPS_READ].level += units;
+        bkt = &ts->cfg.buckets[bucket_types_units[is_write][i]];
+        bkt->level += units;
+        if (bkt->burst_length > 1) {
+            bkt->burst_level += units;
+        }
     }
 }
 
