diff --git a/sys/src/9/bitsy/mmu.c b/sys/src/9/bitsy/mmu.c
index 9d420fd06..ca7df136a 100644
--- a/sys/src/9/bitsy/mmu.c
+++ b/sys/src/9/bitsy/mmu.c
@@ -379,9 +379,9 @@ putmmu(uintptr va, uintptr pa, Page *pg)
 		if(l2pg != nil){
 			up->mmufree = l2pg->next;
 		} else {
-			l2pg = auxpage();
-			if(l2pg == nil)
-				pexit("out of memory", 1);
+			splx(s);
+			l2pg = newpage(0, 0, 0);
+			splhi();
 		}
 		l2pg->va = VA(kmap(l2pg));
 		up->l1page[va>>20] = l2pg;
diff --git a/sys/src/9/port/cache.c b/sys/src/9/port/cache.c
index a64088abf..a03945b4a 100644
--- a/sys/src/9/port/cache.c
+++ b/sys/src/9/port/cache.c
@@ -205,6 +205,11 @@ ccache(Chan *c)
 	return nil;
 }
 
+enum {
+	VABITS	= 8*sizeof(uintptr) - 2*PGSHIFT,
+	VAMASK	= (((uintptr)1 << VABITS)-1) << PGSHIFT,
+};
+
 static Page*
 cpage(Mntcache *m, ulong pn, ulong *po, ulong *pe)
 {
@@ -219,12 +224,19 @@ cpage(Mntcache *m, ulong pn, ulong *po, ulong *pe)
 		m->bitmap[pn/MAPBITS] &= ~b;
 		return nil;
 	}
-	/* see cachedata() below */
-	*po = (ulong)p->va & (BY2PG-1);
-	*pe = (ulong)p->va >> PGSHIFT;
+	*po = p->va & (BY2PG-1);
+	*pe = 1 + (p->va >> (PGSHIFT+VABITS));
+	assert(*po < *pe);
 	return p;
 }
 
+static void
+cpageset(Page *p, ulong po, ulong pe)
+{
+	assert(po < pe);
+	p->va = po | (p->va & VAMASK) | ((uintptr)pe - 1) << (PGSHIFT+VABITS);
+}
+
 int
 cread(Chan *c, uchar *buf, int len, vlong off)
 {
@@ -253,7 +265,7 @@ cread(Chan *c, uchar *buf, int len, vlong off)
 		p = cpage(m, pn, &po, &pe);
 		if(p == nil)
 			break;
-		if(po >= pe || offset < po || offset >= pe){
+		if(offset < po || offset >= pe){
 			putpage(p);
 			break;
 		}
@@ -326,8 +338,8 @@ cachedata(Mntcache *m, uchar *buf, int len, vlong off)
 			l = len;
 		p = cpage(m, pn, &po, &pe);
 		if(p != nil){
-			if(po >= pe || offset > pe || (offset+l) < po){
-				/* cached range empty or not extendable, set new cached range */
+			if(offset > pe || (offset+l) < po){
+				/* cached range not extendable, set new cached range */
 				po = offset;
 				pe = offset+l;
 			} else {
@@ -338,13 +350,12 @@ cachedata(Mntcache *m, uchar *buf, int len, vlong off)
 					pe = offset+l;
 			}
 		} else {
-			p = auxpage();
-			if(p == nil){
+			if(needpages(nil) || waserror()){
 				invalidate(m, offset + pn*BY2PG, len);
 				break;
 			}
-
-			p->va = 0;
+			p = newpage(0, nil, pn*BY2PG);
+			poperror();
 			p->daddr = cacheaddr(m, pn);
 			cachedel(&fscache, p->daddr);
 			cachepage(p, &fscache);
@@ -353,6 +364,7 @@ cachedata(Mntcache *m, uchar *buf, int len, vlong off)
 			po = offset;
 			pe = offset+l;
 		}
+		cpageset(p, po, pe);
 
 		k = kmap(p);
 		if(waserror()) {
@@ -365,9 +377,6 @@ cachedata(Mntcache *m, uchar *buf, int len, vlong off)
 		memmove((uchar*)VA(k) + offset, buf, l);
 		poperror();
 		kunmap(k);
-
-		/* update cached range */
-		p->va = po | (pe << PGSHIFT);
 		putpage(p);
 
 		offset = 0;
diff --git a/sys/src/9/port/page.c b/sys/src/9/port/page.c
index 4945b3436..da5f41aec 100644
--- a/sys/src/9/port/page.c
+++ b/sys/src/9/port/page.c
@@ -234,26 +234,6 @@ putpage(Page *p)
 		freepages(p, p, 1);
 }
 
-Page*
-auxpage(void)
-{
-	Page *p;
-
-	lock(&palloc);
-	p = palloc.head;
-	if(p == nil || palloc.freecount < swapalloc.highwater) {
-		unlock(&palloc);
-		return nil;
-	}
-	palloc.head = p->next;
-	p->next = nil;
-	palloc.freecount--;
-	unlock(&palloc);
-	p->ref = 1;
-
-	return p;
-}
-
 void
 copypage(Page *f, Page *t)
 {
diff --git a/sys/src/9/port/portfns.h b/sys/src/9/port/portfns.h
index a93ddd2ab..8b1675816 100644
--- a/sys/src/9/port/portfns.h
+++ b/sys/src/9/port/portfns.h
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ Block*		allocb(int);
 int		anyhigher(void);
 int		anyready(void);
 Image*		attachimage(int, Chan*, uintptr, ulong);
-Page*		auxpage(void);
 Block*		bl2mem(uchar*, Block*, int);
 int		blocklen(Block*);
 void		bootlinks(void);
@@ -185,6 +184,7 @@ void		mul64fract(uvlong*, uvlong, uvlong);
 void		muxclose(Mnt*);
 Chan*		namec(char*, int, int, ulong);
 void		nameerror(char*, char*);
+int		needpages(void*);
 Chan*		newchan(void);
 int		newfd(Chan*);
 Mhead*		newmhead(Chan*);