diff --git a/common/block.c b/common/block.c
index 120d659..ad07f8b 100644
--- a/common/block.c
+++ b/common/block.c
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@
 	return outdata;
 }
 
-static ssize_t block_read(struct cdev *cdev, void *buf, size_t count,
+static ssize_t block_op_read(struct cdev *cdev, void *buf, size_t count,
 		loff_t offset, unsigned long flags)
 {
 	struct block_device *blk = cdev->priv;
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static ssize_t block_write(struct cdev *cdev, const void *buf, size_t count,
+static ssize_t block_op_write(struct cdev *cdev, const void *buf, size_t count,
 		loff_t offset, ulong flags)
 {
 	struct block_device *blk = cdev->priv;
@@ -310,14 +310,14 @@
 }
 #endif
 
-static int block_close(struct cdev *cdev)
+static int block_op_close(struct cdev *cdev)
 {
 	struct block_device *blk = cdev->priv;
 
 	return writebuffer_flush(blk);
 }
 
-static int block_flush(struct cdev *cdev)
+static int block_op_flush(struct cdev *cdev)
 {
 	struct block_device *blk = cdev->priv;
 
@@ -325,12 +325,12 @@
 }
 
 static struct file_operations block_ops = {
-	.read	= block_read,
+	.read	= block_op_read,
 #ifdef CONFIG_BLOCK_WRITE
-	.write	= block_write,
+	.write	= block_op_write,
 #endif
-	.close	= block_close,
-	.flush	= block_flush,
+	.close	= block_op_close,
+	.flush	= block_op_flush,
 	.lseek	= dev_lseek_default,
 };
 
@@ -387,3 +387,25 @@
 
 	return 0;
 }
+
+int block_read(struct block_device *blk, void *buf, int block, int num_blocks)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = cdev_read(&blk->cdev, buf,
+			num_blocks << blk->blockbits,
+			(loff_t)block << blk->blockbits, 0);
+
+	return ret < 0 ? ret : 0;
+}
+
+int block_write(struct block_device *blk, void *buf, int block, int num_blocks)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = cdev_write(&blk->cdev, buf,
+			num_blocks << blk->blockbits,
+			(loff_t)block << blk->blockbits, 0);
+
+	return ret < 0 ? ret : 0;
+}
diff --git a/common/partitions.c b/common/partitions.c
index 683b258..35a604c 100644
--- a/common/partitions.c
+++ b/common/partitions.c
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@
 	pdesc = xzalloc(sizeof(*pdesc));
 	buf = dma_alloc(SECTOR_SIZE * 2);
 
-	rc = blk->ops->read(blk, buf, 0, 2);
+	rc = block_read(blk, buf, 0, 2);
 	if (rc != 0) {
 		dev_err(blk->dev, "Cannot read MBR/partition table\n");
 		goto on_error;
diff --git a/common/partitions/Kconfig b/common/partitions/Kconfig
index 077091c..90238ad 100644
--- a/common/partitions/Kconfig
+++ b/common/partitions/Kconfig
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 config PARTITION_DISK
 	depends on PARTITION
+	depends on BLOCK
 	bool "DISK partition support"
 	help
 	  Add support for handling common partition tables on all kind of disk
diff --git a/common/partitions/dos.c b/common/partitions/dos.c
index 597f9ba..b9f31c3 100644
--- a/common/partitions/dos.c
+++ b/common/partitions/dos.c
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@
 #include <disks.h>
 #include <init.h>
 #include <asm/unaligned.h>
+#include <dma.h>
+#include <linux/err.h>
 
 #include "parser.h"
 
@@ -40,6 +42,74 @@
 	return (int)size;
 }
 
+static void *read_mbr(struct block_device *blk)
+{
+	void *buf = dma_alloc(SECTOR_SIZE);
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = block_read(blk, buf, 0, 1);
+	if (ret) {
+		free(buf);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	return buf;
+}
+
+static int write_mbr(struct block_device *blk, void *buf)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = block_write(blk, buf, 0, 1);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+
+	return block_flush(blk);
+}
+
+struct disk_signature_priv {
+	uint32_t signature;
+	struct block_device *blk;
+};
+
+static int dos_set_disk_signature(struct param_d *p, void *_priv)
+{
+	struct disk_signature_priv *priv = _priv;
+	struct block_device *blk = priv->blk;
+	void *buf;
+	__le32 *disksigp;
+	int ret;
+
+	buf = read_mbr(blk);
+	if (!buf)
+		return -EIO;
+
+	disksigp = buf + 0x1b8;
+
+	*disksigp = cpu_to_le32(priv->signature);
+
+	ret = write_mbr(blk, buf);
+
+	free(buf);
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
+static int dos_get_disk_signature(struct param_d *p, void *_priv)
+{
+	struct disk_signature_priv *priv = _priv;
+	struct block_device *blk = priv->blk;
+	void *buf;
+
+	buf = read_mbr(blk);
+	if (!buf)
+		return -EIO;
+
+	priv->signature = le32_to_cpup((__le32 *)(buf + 0x1b8));
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 /**
  * Check if a DOS like partition describes this block device
  * @param blk Block device to register to
@@ -55,6 +125,7 @@
 	struct partition pentry;
 	uint8_t *buffer = buf;
 	int i;
+	struct disk_signature_priv *dsp;
 
 	table = (struct partition_entry *)&buffer[446];
 
@@ -74,6 +145,23 @@
 			dev_dbg(blk->dev, "Skipping empty partition %d\n", i);
 		}
 	}
+
+	dsp = xzalloc(sizeof(*dsp));
+	dsp->blk = blk;
+
+	/*
+	 * This parameter contains the NT disk signature. This allows to
+	 * to specify the Linux rootfs using the following syntax:
+	 *
+	 *   root=PARTUUID=ssssssss-pp
+	 *
+	 * where ssssssss is a zero-filled hex representation of the 32-bit
+	 * signature and pp is a zero-filled hex representation of the 1-based
+	 * partition number.
+	 */
+	dev_add_param_int(blk->dev, "nt_signature",
+			dos_set_disk_signature, dos_get_disk_signature,
+			&dsp->signature, "%08x", dsp);
 }
 
 static struct partition_parser dos = {
diff --git a/common/partitions/efi.c b/common/partitions/efi.c
index e450eeb..ee1326e 100644
--- a/common/partitions/efi.c
+++ b/common/partitions/efi.c
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@
 
 	from = le64_to_cpu(pgpt_head->partition_entry_lba);
 	size = count / GPT_BLOCK_SIZE;
-	ret = blk->ops->read(blk, pte, from, size);
+	ret = block_read(blk, pte, from, size);
 	if (ret) {
 		kfree(pte);
 		pte=NULL;
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@
 	if (!gpt)
 		return NULL;
 
-	ret = blk->ops->read(blk, gpt, lba, 1);
+	ret = block_read(blk, gpt, lba, 1);
 	if (ret) {
 		kfree(gpt);
 		gpt=NULL;
diff --git a/include/block.h b/include/block.h
index cfa4cb9..eb31aca 100644
--- a/include/block.h
+++ b/include/block.h
@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@
 struct block_device_ops {
 	int (*read)(struct block_device *, void *buf, int block, int num_blocks);
 	int (*write)(struct block_device *, const void *buf, int block, int num_blocks);
-	int (*read_start)(struct block_device *, void *buf, int block, int num_blocks);
-	int (*read_done)(struct block_device *);
 };
 
 struct chunk;
@@ -31,4 +29,12 @@
 int blockdevice_register(struct block_device *blk);
 int blockdevice_unregister(struct block_device *blk);
 
+int block_read(struct block_device *blk, void *buf, int block, int num_blocks);
+int block_write(struct block_device *blk, void *buf, int block, int num_blocks);
+
+static inline int block_flush(struct block_device *blk)
+{
+	return cdev_flush(&blk->cdev);
+}
+
 #endif /* __BLOCK_H */