diff --git a/hw/block/dataplane/xen-block.h b/hw/block/dataplane/xen-block.h
index 76dcd51c3d..7b8e9df09f 100644
--- a/hw/block/dataplane/xen-block.h
+++ b/hw/block/dataplane/xen-block.h
@@ -26,5 +26,7 @@ void xen_block_dataplane_start(XenBlockDataPlane *dataplane,
                                unsigned int protocol,
                                Error **errp);
 void xen_block_dataplane_stop(XenBlockDataPlane *dataplane);
+void xen_block_dataplane_attach(XenBlockDataPlane *dataplane);
+void xen_block_dataplane_detach(XenBlockDataPlane *dataplane);
 
 #endif /* HW_BLOCK_DATAPLANE_XEN_BLOCK_H */
diff --git a/hw/block/dataplane/xen-block.c b/hw/block/dataplane/xen-block.c
index 734da42ea7..02e0fd6115 100644
--- a/hw/block/dataplane/xen-block.c
+++ b/hw/block/dataplane/xen-block.c
@@ -663,6 +663,30 @@ void xen_block_dataplane_destroy(XenBlockDataPlane *dataplane)
     g_free(dataplane);
 }
 
+void xen_block_dataplane_detach(XenBlockDataPlane *dataplane)
+{
+    if (!dataplane || !dataplane->event_channel) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    /* Only reason for failure is a NULL channel */
+    xen_device_set_event_channel_context(dataplane->xendev,
+                                         dataplane->event_channel,
+                                         NULL, &error_abort);
+}
+
+void xen_block_dataplane_attach(XenBlockDataPlane *dataplane)
+{
+    if (!dataplane || !dataplane->event_channel) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    /* Only reason for failure is a NULL channel */
+    xen_device_set_event_channel_context(dataplane->xendev,
+                                         dataplane->event_channel,
+                                         dataplane->ctx, &error_abort);
+}
+
 void xen_block_dataplane_stop(XenBlockDataPlane *dataplane)
 {
     XenDevice *xendev;
@@ -673,13 +697,11 @@ void xen_block_dataplane_stop(XenBlockDataPlane *dataplane)
 
     xendev = dataplane->xendev;
 
-    aio_context_acquire(dataplane->ctx);
-    if (dataplane->event_channel) {
-        /* Only reason for failure is a NULL channel */
-        xen_device_set_event_channel_context(xendev, dataplane->event_channel,
-                                             qemu_get_aio_context(),
-                                             &error_abort);
+    if (!blk_in_drain(dataplane->blk)) {
+        xen_block_dataplane_detach(dataplane);
     }
+
+    aio_context_acquire(dataplane->ctx);
     /* Xen doesn't have multiple users for nodes, so this can't fail */
     blk_set_aio_context(dataplane->blk, qemu_get_aio_context(), &error_abort);
     aio_context_release(dataplane->ctx);
@@ -818,11 +840,9 @@ void xen_block_dataplane_start(XenBlockDataPlane *dataplane,
     blk_set_aio_context(dataplane->blk, dataplane->ctx, NULL);
     aio_context_release(old_context);
 
-    /* Only reason for failure is a NULL channel */
-    aio_context_acquire(dataplane->ctx);
-    xen_device_set_event_channel_context(xendev, dataplane->event_channel,
-                                         dataplane->ctx, &error_abort);
-    aio_context_release(dataplane->ctx);
+    if (!blk_in_drain(dataplane->blk)) {
+        xen_block_dataplane_attach(dataplane);
+    }
 
     return;
 
diff --git a/hw/block/xen-block.c b/hw/block/xen-block.c
index f5a744589d..f099914831 100644
--- a/hw/block/xen-block.c
+++ b/hw/block/xen-block.c
@@ -189,8 +189,26 @@ static void xen_block_resize_cb(void *opaque)
     xen_device_backend_printf(xendev, "state", "%u", state);
 }
 
+/* Suspend request handling */
+static void xen_block_drained_begin(void *opaque)
+{
+    XenBlockDevice *blockdev = opaque;
+
+    xen_block_dataplane_detach(blockdev->dataplane);
+}
+
+/* Resume request handling */
+static void xen_block_drained_end(void *opaque)
+{
+    XenBlockDevice *blockdev = opaque;
+
+    xen_block_dataplane_attach(blockdev->dataplane);
+}
+
 static const BlockDevOps xen_block_dev_ops = {
-    .resize_cb = xen_block_resize_cb,
+    .resize_cb     = xen_block_resize_cb,
+    .drained_begin = xen_block_drained_begin,
+    .drained_end   = xen_block_drained_end,
 };
 
 static void xen_block_realize(XenDevice *xendev, Error **errp)
@@ -242,8 +260,6 @@ static void xen_block_realize(XenDevice *xendev, Error **errp)
         return;
     }
 
-    blk_set_dev_ops(blk, &xen_block_dev_ops, blockdev);
-
     if (conf->discard_granularity == -1) {
         conf->discard_granularity = conf->physical_block_size;
     }
@@ -277,6 +293,8 @@ static void xen_block_realize(XenDevice *xendev, Error **errp)
     blockdev->dataplane =
         xen_block_dataplane_create(xendev, blk, conf->logical_block_size,
                                    blockdev->props.iothread);
+
+    blk_set_dev_ops(blk, &xen_block_dev_ops, blockdev);
 }
 
 static void xen_block_frontend_changed(XenDevice *xendev,
diff --git a/hw/xen/xen-bus.c b/hw/xen/xen-bus.c
index c59850b1de..b8f408c9ed 100644
--- a/hw/xen/xen-bus.c
+++ b/hw/xen/xen-bus.c
@@ -846,8 +846,11 @@ void xen_device_set_event_channel_context(XenDevice *xendev,
                            NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL);
 
     channel->ctx = ctx;
-    aio_set_fd_handler(channel->ctx, qemu_xen_evtchn_fd(channel->xeh), true,
-                       xen_device_event, NULL, xen_device_poll, NULL, channel);
+    if (ctx) {
+        aio_set_fd_handler(channel->ctx, qemu_xen_evtchn_fd(channel->xeh),
+                           true, xen_device_event, NULL, xen_device_poll, NULL,
+                           channel);
+    }
 }
 
 XenEventChannel *xen_device_bind_event_channel(XenDevice *xendev,
