diff --git a/hw/s390x/3270-ccw.c b/hw/s390x/3270-ccw.c
index 081e3ef6f4..3af13ea027 100644
--- a/hw/s390x/3270-ccw.c
+++ b/hw/s390x/3270-ccw.c
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ static void emulated_ccw_3270_realize(DeviceState *ds, Error **errp)
     SubchDev *sch;
     Error *err = NULL;
 
-    sch = css_create_sch(cdev->devno, true, cbus->squash_mcss, errp);
+    sch = css_create_sch(cdev->devno, cbus->squash_mcss, errp);
     if (!sch) {
         return;
     }
diff --git a/hw/s390x/css.c b/hw/s390x/css.c
index f6b5c807cd..cd26f32050 100644
--- a/hw/s390x/css.c
+++ b/hw/s390x/css.c
@@ -2370,22 +2370,12 @@ const PropertyInfo css_devid_ro_propinfo = {
     .get = get_css_devid,
 };
 
-SubchDev *css_create_sch(CssDevId bus_id, bool is_virtual, bool squash_mcss,
-                         Error **errp)
+SubchDev *css_create_sch(CssDevId bus_id, bool squash_mcss, Error **errp)
 {
     uint16_t schid = 0;
     SubchDev *sch;
 
     if (bus_id.valid) {
-        if (is_virtual != (bus_id.cssid == VIRTUAL_CSSID)) {
-            error_setg(errp, "cssid %hhx not valid for %s devices",
-                       bus_id.cssid,
-                       (is_virtual ? "virtual" : "non-virtual"));
-            return NULL;
-        }
-    }
-
-    if (bus_id.valid) {
         if (squash_mcss) {
             bus_id.cssid = channel_subsys.default_cssid;
         } else if (!channel_subsys.css[bus_id.cssid]) {
@@ -2396,19 +2386,8 @@ SubchDev *css_create_sch(CssDevId bus_id, bool is_virtual, bool squash_mcss,
                                            bus_id.devid, &schid, errp)) {
             return NULL;
         }
-    } else if (squash_mcss || is_virtual) {
-        bus_id.cssid = channel_subsys.default_cssid;
-
-        if (!css_find_free_subch_and_devno(bus_id.cssid, &bus_id.ssid,
-                                           &bus_id.devid, &schid, errp)) {
-            return NULL;
-        }
     } else {
-        for (bus_id.cssid = 0; bus_id.cssid < MAX_CSSID; ++bus_id.cssid) {
-            if (bus_id.cssid == VIRTUAL_CSSID) {
-                continue;
-            }
-
+        for (bus_id.cssid = channel_subsys.default_cssid;;) {
             if (!channel_subsys.css[bus_id.cssid]) {
                 css_create_css_image(bus_id.cssid, false);
             }
@@ -2418,7 +2397,8 @@ SubchDev *css_create_sch(CssDevId bus_id, bool is_virtual, bool squash_mcss,
                                                 NULL)) {
                 break;
             }
-            if (bus_id.cssid == MAX_CSSID) {
+            bus_id.cssid = (bus_id.cssid + 1) % MAX_CSSID;
+            if (bus_id.cssid == channel_subsys.default_cssid) {
                 error_setg(errp, "Virtual channel subsystem is full!");
                 return NULL;
             }
diff --git a/hw/s390x/s390-ccw.c b/hw/s390x/s390-ccw.c
index 0ef232ec27..4a9d4d2534 100644
--- a/hw/s390x/s390-ccw.c
+++ b/hw/s390x/s390-ccw.c
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ static void s390_ccw_realize(S390CCWDevice *cdev, char *sysfsdev, Error **errp)
         goto out_err_propagate;
     }
 
-    sch = css_create_sch(ccw_dev->devno, false, cbus->squash_mcss, &err);
+    sch = css_create_sch(ccw_dev->devno, cbus->squash_mcss, &err);
     if (!sch) {
         goto out_mdevid_free;
     }
diff --git a/hw/s390x/s390-virtio-ccw.c b/hw/s390x/s390-virtio-ccw.c
index 6a57f94197..b558b2adad 100644
--- a/hw/s390x/s390-virtio-ccw.c
+++ b/hw/s390x/s390-virtio-ccw.c
@@ -556,6 +556,21 @@ static inline void machine_set_squash_mcss(Object *obj, bool value,
     ms->s390_squash_mcss = value;
 }
 
+static bool prop_get_true(Object *obj, Error **errp)
+{
+    return true;
+}
+
+/*
+ * This is a fake setter so the device shows up in the output of
+ * --machine s390-ccw-virtio,help.
+ */
+static inline void prop_set_bool_fail(Object *obj, bool value,
+                                           Error **errp)
+{
+    error_setg(errp, "Tried to set non-settable property!");
+}
+
 static inline void s390_machine_initfn(Object *obj)
 {
     object_property_add_bool(obj, "aes-key-wrap",
@@ -587,6 +602,12 @@ static inline void s390_machine_initfn(Object *obj)
             "enable/disable squashing subchannels into the default css",
             NULL);
     object_property_set_bool(obj, false, "s390-squash-mcss", NULL);
+    object_property_add_bool(obj, "cssid-unrestricted",
+                                   prop_get_true, prop_set_bool_fail, NULL);
+    object_property_set_description(obj, "cssid-unrestricted",
+            "can use any cssid with any css device (the restriction,"
+            " 0xfe for virtual and 0x00-0xfd for non-virtual, is no more)",
+            NULL);
 }
 
 static const TypeInfo ccw_machine_info = {
diff --git a/hw/s390x/virtio-ccw.c b/hw/s390x/virtio-ccw.c
index 184515ce94..3dd902a664 100644
--- a/hw/s390x/virtio-ccw.c
+++ b/hw/s390x/virtio-ccw.c
@@ -701,7 +701,7 @@ static void virtio_ccw_device_realize(VirtioCcwDevice *dev, Error **errp)
     SubchDev *sch;
     Error *err = NULL;
 
-    sch = css_create_sch(ccw_dev->devno, true, cbus->squash_mcss, errp);
+    sch = css_create_sch(ccw_dev->devno, cbus->squash_mcss, errp);
     if (!sch) {
         return;
     }
diff --git a/include/hw/s390x/css.h b/include/hw/s390x/css.h
index ab6ebe66b5..53c270a216 100644
--- a/include/hw/s390x/css.h
+++ b/include/hw/s390x/css.h
@@ -272,12 +272,9 @@ extern const PropertyInfo css_devid_ro_propinfo;
  * default css image for it.
  * If @p bus_id is valid, and @p squash_mcss is false, verify that it is
  * not already in use, and find a free devno for it.
- * If @p bus_id is not valid, and if either @p squash_mcss or @p is_virtual
- * is true, find a free subchannel id and device number across all
- * subchannel sets from the default css image.
- * If @p bus_id is not valid, and if both @p squash_mcss and @p is_virtual
- * are false, find a non-full css image and find a free subchannel id and
- * device number across all subchannel sets from it.
+ * If @p bus_id is not valid find a free subchannel id and device number
+ * across all subchannel sets and all css images starting from the default
+ * css image.
  *
  * If either of the former actions succeed, allocate a subchannel structure,
  * initialise it with the bus id, subchannel id and device number, register
@@ -286,8 +283,7 @@ extern const PropertyInfo css_devid_ro_propinfo;
  * The caller becomes owner of the returned subchannel structure and
  * is responsible for unregistering and freeing it.
  */
-SubchDev *css_create_sch(CssDevId bus_id, bool is_virtual, bool squash_mcss,
-                         Error **errp);
+SubchDev *css_create_sch(CssDevId bus_id, bool squash_mcss, Error **errp);
 
 /** Turn on css migration */
 void css_register_vmstate(void);
diff --git a/util/qemu-config.c b/util/qemu-config.c
index 99b0e46fa3..acfc452fc2 100644
--- a/util/qemu-config.c
+++ b/util/qemu-config.c
@@ -233,6 +233,12 @@ static QemuOptsList machine_opts = {
             .help = "Up to 8 chars in set of [A-Za-z0-9. ](lower case chars"
                     " converted to upper case) to pass to machine"
                     " loader, boot manager, and guest kernel",
+        },{
+            /* TODO: Consider device property. This is way too ugly. */
+            .name = "cssid-unrestricted",
+            .type = QEMU_OPT_BOOL,
+            .help = "can use any cssid with any css device (the restriction,"
+            " 0xfe for virtual and 0x00-0xfd for non-virtual, is no more)",
         },
         { /* End of list */ }
     }
