diff --git a/drivers/block/null_blk.c b/drivers/block/null_blk.c
index 8ba1e97d573c3b804c2ee7d14946f94b4c32fc93..ae05d31c0559c600bc940885d0085fe21671e4d2 100644
--- a/drivers/block/null_blk.c
+++ b/drivers/block/null_blk.c
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ static int null_lnvm_id(struct nvm_dev *dev, struct nvm_id *id)
 	id->ver_id = 0x1;
 	id->vmnt = 0;
 	id->cgrps = 1;
-	id->cap = 0x3;
+	id->cap = 0x2;
 	id->dom = 0x1;
 
 	id->ppaf.blk_offset = 0;
diff --git a/drivers/lightnvm/core.c b/drivers/lightnvm/core.c
index 33224cb91c5bb98ac7e464b4202dacbac71671c9..9f6acd5d1d2e9359730ad595f92d3e902bc40d17 100644
--- a/drivers/lightnvm/core.c
+++ b/drivers/lightnvm/core.c
@@ -572,11 +572,13 @@ int nvm_register(struct request_queue *q, char *disk_name,
 		}
 	}
 
-	ret = nvm_get_sysblock(dev, &dev->sb);
-	if (!ret)
-		pr_err("nvm: device not initialized.\n");
-	else if (ret < 0)
-		pr_err("nvm: err (%d) on device initialization\n", ret);
+	if (dev->identity.cap & NVM_ID_DCAP_BBLKMGMT) {
+		ret = nvm_get_sysblock(dev, &dev->sb);
+		if (!ret)
+			pr_err("nvm: device not initialized.\n");
+		else if (ret < 0)
+			pr_err("nvm: err (%d) on device initialization\n", ret);
+	}
 
 	/* register device with a supported media manager */
 	down_write(&nvm_lock);
@@ -1055,9 +1057,11 @@ static long __nvm_ioctl_dev_init(struct nvm_ioctl_dev_init *init)
 	strncpy(info.mmtype, init->mmtype, NVM_MMTYPE_LEN);
 	info.fs_ppa.ppa = -1;
 
-	ret = nvm_init_sysblock(dev, &info);
-	if (ret)
-		return ret;
+	if (dev->identity.cap & NVM_ID_DCAP_BBLKMGMT) {
+		ret = nvm_init_sysblock(dev, &info);
+		if (ret)
+			return ret;
+	}
 
 	memcpy(&dev->sb, &info, sizeof(struct nvm_sb_info));
 
@@ -1117,7 +1121,10 @@ static long nvm_ioctl_dev_factory(struct file *file, void __user *arg)
 		dev->mt = NULL;
 	}
 
-	return nvm_dev_factory(dev, fact.flags);
+	if (dev->identity.cap & NVM_ID_DCAP_BBLKMGMT)
+		return nvm_dev_factory(dev, fact.flags);
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static long nvm_ctl_ioctl(struct file *file, uint cmd, unsigned long arg)
diff --git a/include/linux/lightnvm.h b/include/linux/lightnvm.h
index d6750111e48ecc4603dbc5f28eb01f2810ed6303..2190419bdf0a04e549b64946037d8d61fd025781 100644
--- a/include/linux/lightnvm.h
+++ b/include/linux/lightnvm.h
@@ -135,6 +135,10 @@ enum {
 	/* Memory types */
 	NVM_ID_FMTYPE_SLC	= 0,
 	NVM_ID_FMTYPE_MLC	= 1,
+
+	/* Device capabilities */
+	NVM_ID_DCAP_BBLKMGMT	= 0x1,
+	NVM_UD_DCAP_ECC		= 0x2,
 };
 
 struct nvm_id_lp_mlc {