diff --git a/include/my_global.h b/include/my_global.h
index 6831a76c945..f337c079c82 100644
--- a/include/my_global.h
+++ b/include/my_global.h
@@ -1468,4 +1468,12 @@ do { doubleget_union _tmp; \
 #define dlerror() ""
 #endif
 
+/*
+  Only Linux is known to need an explicit sync of the directory to make sure a
+  file creation/deletion/renaming in(from,to) this directory durable.
+*/
+#ifdef TARGET_OS_LINUX
+#define NEED_EXPLICIT_SYNC_DIR 1
+#endif
+
 #endif /* my_global_h */
diff --git a/include/my_sys.h b/include/my_sys.h
index 3c5b5e6cbf4..f235c4d3fed 100644
--- a/include/my_sys.h
+++ b/include/my_sys.h
@@ -623,8 +623,8 @@ extern FILE *my_fdopen(File Filedes,const char *name, int Flags,myf MyFlags);
 extern int my_fclose(FILE *fd,myf MyFlags);
 extern int my_chsize(File fd,my_off_t newlength, int filler, myf MyFlags);
 extern int my_sync(File fd, myf my_flags);
-extern void my_sync_dir(const char *dir_name, myf my_flags);
-extern void my_sync_dir_by_file(const char *file_name, myf my_flags);
+extern int my_sync_dir(const char *dir_name, myf my_flags);
+extern int my_sync_dir_by_file(const char *file_name, myf my_flags);
 extern int my_error _VARARGS((int nr,myf MyFlags, ...));
 extern int my_printf_error _VARARGS((uint my_err, const char *format,
 				     myf MyFlags, ...))
diff --git a/mysys/my_create.c b/mysys/my_create.c
index bb3801691a5..0b1bfa12c18 100644
--- a/mysys/my_create.c
+++ b/mysys/my_create.c
@@ -53,8 +53,12 @@ File my_create(const char *FileName, int CreateFlags, int access_flags,
   fd = open(FileName, access_flags);
 #endif
 
-  if ((MyFlags & MY_SYNC_DIR) && (fd >=0))
-    my_sync_dir_by_file(FileName, MyFlags);
+  if ((MyFlags & MY_SYNC_DIR) && (fd >=0) &&
+      my_sync_dir_by_file(FileName, MyFlags))
+  {
+    my_close(fd, MyFlags);
+    fd= -1;
+  }
 
   DBUG_RETURN(my_register_filename(fd, FileName, FILE_BY_CREATE,
 				   EE_CANTCREATEFILE, MyFlags));
diff --git a/mysys/my_delete.c b/mysys/my_delete.c
index 6d90caa48ed..d56507c36c0 100644
--- a/mysys/my_delete.c
+++ b/mysys/my_delete.c
@@ -30,8 +30,9 @@ int my_delete(const char *name, myf MyFlags)
       my_error(EE_DELETE,MYF(ME_BELL+ME_WAITTANG+(MyFlags & ME_NOINPUT)),
 	       name,errno);
   }
-  else if (MyFlags & MY_SYNC_DIR)
-    my_sync_dir_by_file(name, MyFlags);
+  else if ((MyFlags & MY_SYNC_DIR) &&
+           my_sync_dir_by_file(name, MyFlags))
+    err= -1;
   DBUG_RETURN(err);
 } /* my_delete */
 
diff --git a/mysys/my_rename.c b/mysys/my_rename.c
index 2c9ace6223a..8c2a354324b 100644
--- a/mysys/my_rename.c
+++ b/mysys/my_rename.c
@@ -63,8 +63,16 @@ int my_rename(const char *from, const char *to, myf MyFlags)
   }
   else if (MyFlags & MY_SYNC_DIR)
   {
-    my_sync_dir_by_file(from, MyFlags);
-    my_sync_dir_by_file(to, MyFlags);
+#ifdef NEED_EXPLICIT_SYNC_DIR
+    /* do only the needed amount of syncs: */
+    char dir_from[FN_REFLEN], dir_to[FN_REFLEN];
+    dirname_part(dir_from, from);
+    dirname_part(dir_to, to);
+    if (my_sync_dir(dir_from, MyFlags) ||
+        (strcmp(dir_from, dir_to) &&
+         my_sync_dir(dir_to, MyFlags)))
+      error= -1;
+#endif
   }
   DBUG_RETURN(error);
 } /* my_rename */
diff --git a/mysys/my_sync.c b/mysys/my_sync.c
index eaa26ef07a7..ada2ea84414 100644
--- a/mysys/my_sync.c
+++ b/mysys/my_sync.c
@@ -50,10 +50,14 @@ int my_sync(File fd, myf my_flags)
   do
   {
 #if defined(F_FULLFSYNC)
-    /* Recent Mac OS X versions insist this call is safer than fsync() */
+    /*
+      In Mac OS X >= 10.3 this call is safer than fsync() (it forces the
+      disk's cache).
+    */
     if (!(res= fcntl(fd, F_FULLFSYNC, 0)))
       break; /* ok */
-    /* Some fs don't support F_FULLFSYNC and fail above, fallback: */
+    /* Some file systems don't support F_FULLFSYNC and fail above: */
+    DBUG_PRINT("info",("fcntl(F_FULLFSYNC) failed, falling back"));
 #endif
 #if defined(HAVE_FDATASYNC)
     res= fdatasync(fd);
@@ -62,7 +66,7 @@ int my_sync(File fd, myf my_flags)
 #elif defined(__WIN__)
     res= _commit(fd);
 #else
-#warning Cannot find a way to sync a file, durability in danger
+#error Cannot find a way to sync a file, durability in danger
     res= 0;					/* No sync (strange OS) */
 #endif
   } while (res == -1 && errno == EINTR);
@@ -74,7 +78,10 @@ int my_sync(File fd, myf my_flags)
       my_errno= -1;                             /* Unknown error */
     if ((my_flags & MY_IGNORE_BADFD) &&
         (er == EBADF || er == EINVAL || er == EROFS))
+    {
+      DBUG_PRINT("info", ("ignoring errno %d", er));
       res= 0;
+    }
     else if (my_flags & MY_WME)
       my_error(EE_SYNC, MYF(ME_BELL+ME_WAITTANG), my_filename(fd), my_errno);
   }
@@ -83,68 +90,62 @@ int my_sync(File fd, myf my_flags)
 
 
 /*
-  Force directory information to disk. Only Linux is known to need this to
-  make sure a file creation/deletion/renaming in(from,to) this directory
-  durable.
+  Force directory information to disk.
 
   SYNOPSIS
     my_sync_dir()
     dir_name             the name of the directory
-    my_flags             unused
+    my_flags             flags (MY_WME etc)
 
   RETURN
-    nothing (the sync may fail sometimes).
+    0 if ok, !=0 if error
 */
-void my_sync_dir(const char *dir_name, myf my_flags __attribute__((unused)))
+int my_sync_dir(const char *dir_name, myf my_flags)
 {
-#ifdef TARGET_OS_LINUX
+#ifdef NEED_EXPLICIT_SYNC_DIR
   DBUG_ENTER("my_sync_dir");
   DBUG_PRINT("my",("Dir: '%s'  my_flags: %d", dir_name, my_flags));
   File dir_fd;
-  int error= 0;
+  int res= 0;
   /*
-    Syncing a dir does not work on all filesystems (e.g. tmpfs->EINVAL) :
-    ignore errors. But print them to the debug log.
+    Syncing a dir may give EINVAL on tmpfs on Linux, which is ok.
+    EIO on the other hand is very important. Hence MY_IGNORE_BADFD.
   */
-  if (((dir_fd= my_open(dir_name, O_RDONLY, MYF(0))) >= 0))
+  if ((dir_fd= my_open(dir_name, O_RDONLY, MYF(my_flags))) >= 0)
   {
-    if (my_sync(dir_fd, MYF(0)))
-    {
-      error= errno;
-      DBUG_PRINT("info",("my_sync failed errno: %d", error));
-    }
-    my_close(dir_fd, MYF(0));
+    if (my_sync(dir_fd, MYF(my_flags | MY_IGNORE_BADFD)))
+      res= 2;
+    if (my_close(dir_fd, MYF(my_flags)))
+      res= 3;
   }
   else
-  {
-    error= errno;
-    DBUG_PRINT("info",("my_open failed errno: %d", error));
-  }
-  DBUG_VOID_RETURN;
+    res= 1;
+  DBUG_RETURN(res);
+#else
+  return 0;
 #endif
 }
 
 
 /*
-  Force directory information to disk. Only Linux is known to need this to
-  make sure a file creation/deletion/renaming in(from,to) this directory
-  durable.
+  Force directory information to disk.
 
   SYNOPSIS
     my_sync_dir_by_file()
     file_name            the name of a file in the directory
-    my_flags             unused
+    my_flags             flags (MY_WME etc)
 
   RETURN
-    nothing (the sync may fail sometimes).
+    0 if ok, !=0 if error
 */
-void my_sync_dir_by_file(const char *file_name,
-                         myf my_flags __attribute__((unused)))
+int my_sync_dir_by_file(const char *file_name, myf my_flags)
 {
-#ifdef TARGET_OS_LINUX
+#ifdef NEED_EXPLICIT_SYNC_DIR
   char dir_name[FN_REFLEN];
   dirname_part(dir_name, file_name);
   return my_sync_dir(dir_name, my_flags);
+#else
+  return 0;
 #endif
 }
 
diff --git a/sql/unireg.cc b/sql/unireg.cc
index 5c2997c1483..b1d0e75723e 100644
--- a/sql/unireg.cc
+++ b/sql/unireg.cc
@@ -285,12 +285,11 @@ bool mysql_create_frm(THD *thd, const char *file_name,
   my_free((gptr) screen_buff,MYF(0));
   my_free((gptr) keybuff, MYF(0));
 
-  if (opt_sync_frm && !(create_info->options & HA_LEX_CREATE_TMP_TABLE))
-  {
-    if (my_sync(file, MYF(MY_WME)))
+  if (opt_sync_frm && !(create_info->options & HA_LEX_CREATE_TMP_TABLE) &&
+      (my_sync(file, MYF(MY_WME)) ||
+       my_sync_dir_by_file(file_name, MYF(MY_WME))))
       goto err2;
-    my_sync_dir_by_file(file_name, MYF(0));
-  }
+
   if (my_close(file,MYF(MY_WME)))
     goto err3;