diff --git a/drivers/scsi/libata-core.c b/drivers/scsi/libata-core.c
index 53226b16355cd4d014cd0a2f427a3789dc9dadbd..985283cbcbdf2c4832d8909bc931f961c3024ae5 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/libata-core.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/libata-core.c
@@ -1241,7 +1241,7 @@ static int ata_dev_configure(struct ata_port *ap, struct ata_device *dev,
 		       id[84], id[85], id[86], id[87], id[88]);
 
 	/* initialize to-be-configured parameters */
-	dev->flags = 0;
+	dev->flags &= ~ATA_DFLAG_CFG_MASK;
 	dev->max_sectors = 0;
 	dev->cdb_len = 0;
 	dev->n_sectors = 0;
diff --git a/include/linux/libata.h b/include/linux/libata.h
index 890262f44d0a78728410ed0ffd34ffb3e21e1e60..cbbc821fe22c6a2213b8900f9bc3c53ab207a19a 100644
--- a/include/linux/libata.h
+++ b/include/linux/libata.h
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ enum {
 	/* struct ata_device stuff */
 	ATA_DFLAG_LBA		= (1 << 0), /* device supports LBA */
 	ATA_DFLAG_LBA48		= (1 << 1), /* device supports LBA48 */
+	ATA_DFLAG_CFG_MASK	= (1 << 8) - 1,
 
 	ATA_DFLAG_PIO		= (1 << 8), /* device currently in PIO mode */