diff --git a/storage/innobase/buf/buf0buf.c b/storage/innobase/buf/buf0buf.c
index abfde83a3bd..03133e81ceb 100644
--- a/storage/innobase/buf/buf0buf.c
+++ b/storage/innobase/buf/buf0buf.c
@@ -246,8 +246,8 @@ static const int WAIT_FOR_READ	= 5000;
 /** Number of attemtps made to read in a page in the buffer pool */
 static const ulint BUF_PAGE_READ_MAX_RETRIES = 100;
 
-/** The buffer buf_pool of the database */
-UNIV_INTERN buf_pool_t*	buf_pool_ptr[MAX_BUFFER_POOLS];
+/** The buffer pools of the database */
+UNIV_INTERN buf_pool_t*	buf_pool_ptr;
 
 #if defined UNIV_DEBUG || defined UNIV_BUF_DEBUG
 static ulint	buf_dbg_counter	= 0; /*!< This is used to insert validation
@@ -858,7 +858,7 @@ buf_block_init(
 
 	block->frame = frame;
 
-	block->page.buf_pool = buf_pool;
+	block->page.buf_pool_index = buf_pool_index(buf_pool);
 	block->page.state = BUF_BLOCK_NOT_USED;
 	block->page.buf_fix_count = 0;
 	block->page.io_fix = BUF_IO_NONE;
@@ -1280,8 +1280,6 @@ buf_pool_free_instance(
 	mem_free(buf_pool->chunks);
 	hash_table_free(buf_pool->page_hash);
 	hash_table_free(buf_pool->zip_hash);
-	mem_free(buf_pool);
-	buf_pool = NULL;
 }
 
 /********************************************************************//**
@@ -1294,25 +1292,22 @@ buf_pool_init(
 	ulint	total_size,	/*!< in: size of the total pool in bytes */
 	ulint	n_instances)	/*!< in: number of instances */
 {
-	ulint	i;
+	ulint		i;
+	const ulint	size	= total_size / n_instances;
+
+	ut_ad(n_instances < MAX_BUFFER_POOLS);
+	ut_ad(n_instances == srv_buf_pool_instances);
 
 	/* We create an extra buffer pool instance, this instance is used
 	for flushing the flush lists, to keep track of n_flush for all
 	the buffer pools and also used as a waiting object during flushing. */
+	buf_pool_ptr = mem_zalloc(n_instances * sizeof *buf_pool_ptr);
+
 	for (i = 0; i < n_instances; i++) {
-		buf_pool_t*	ptr;
-		ulint		size;
-
-		ptr = mem_zalloc(sizeof(*ptr));
-
-		size = total_size / n_instances;
-
-		buf_pool_ptr[i] = ptr;
+		buf_pool_t*	ptr	= &buf_pool_ptr[i];
 
 		if (buf_pool_init_instance(ptr, size, i) != DB_SUCCESS) {
 
-			mem_free(buf_pool_ptr[i]);
-
 			/* Free all the instances created so far. */
 			buf_pool_free(i);
 
@@ -1341,8 +1336,10 @@ buf_pool_free(
 
 	for (i = 0; i < n_instances; i++) {
 		buf_pool_free_instance(buf_pool_from_array(i));
-		buf_pool_ptr[i] = NULL;
 	}
+
+	mem_free(buf_pool_ptr);
+	buf_pool_ptr = NULL;
 }
 
 /********************************************************************//**
@@ -3685,7 +3682,7 @@ err_exit:
 		bpage = buf_buddy_alloc(buf_pool, sizeof *bpage, &lru);
 
 		/* Initialize the buf_pool pointer. */
-		bpage->buf_pool = buf_pool;
+		bpage->buf_pool_index = buf_pool_index(buf_pool);
 
 		/* If buf_buddy_alloc() allocated storage from the LRU list,
 		it released and reacquired buf_pool->mutex.  Thus, we must
diff --git a/storage/innobase/include/buf0buf.h b/storage/innobase/include/buf0buf.h
index b0fff919918..a42eba57fd2 100644
--- a/storage/innobase/include/buf0buf.h
+++ b/storage/innobase/include/buf0buf.h
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ Created 11/5/1995 Heikki Tuuri
 #define BUF_POOL_WATCH_SIZE 1		/*!< Maximum number of concurrent
 					buffer pool watches */
 
-extern	buf_pool_t*	buf_pool_ptr[MAX_BUFFER_POOLS]; /*!< The buffer pools
+extern	buf_pool_t*	buf_pool_ptr;	/*!< The buffer pools
 					of the database */
 #ifdef UNIV_DEBUG
 extern ibool		buf_debug_prints;/*!< If this is set TRUE, the program
@@ -1034,6 +1034,15 @@ buf_page_address_fold(
 	ulint	space,	/*!< in: space id */
 	ulint	offset)	/*!< in: offset of the page within space */
 	__attribute__((const));
+/********************************************************************//**
+Calculates the index of a buffer pool to the buf_pool[] array.
+@return	the position of the buffer pool in buf_pool[] */
+UNIV_INLINE
+ulint
+buf_pool_index(
+/*===========*/
+	const buf_pool_t*	buf_pool)	/*!< in: buffer pool */
+	__attribute__((nonnull, const));
 /******************************************************************//**
 Returns the buffer pool instance given a page instance
 @return buf_pool */
@@ -1065,8 +1074,9 @@ Returns the buffer pool instance given its array index
 UNIV_INLINE
 buf_pool_t*
 buf_pool_from_array(
-/*====================*/
-	ulint	index);	/*!< in: array index to get buffer pool instance from */
+/*================*/
+	ulint	index);		/*!< in: array index to get
+				buffer pool instance from */
 /******************************************************************//**
 Returns the control block of a file page, NULL if not found.
 @return	block, NULL if not found */
@@ -1204,8 +1214,13 @@ struct buf_page_struct{
 	unsigned	io_fix:2;	/*!< type of pending I/O operation;
 					also protected by buf_pool->mutex
 					@see enum buf_io_fix */
-	unsigned	buf_fix_count:25;/*!< count of how manyfold this block
+	unsigned	buf_fix_count:19;/*!< count of how manyfold this block
 					is currently bufferfixed */
+	unsigned	buf_pool_index:6;/*!< index number of the buffer pool
+					that this block belongs to */
+# if MAX_BUFFER_POOLS > 64
+#  error "MAX_BUFFER_POOLS > 64; redefine buf_pool_index:6"
+# endif
 	/* @} */
 #endif /* !UNIV_HOTBACKUP */
 	page_zip_des_t	zip;		/*!< compressed page; zip.data
@@ -1324,8 +1339,6 @@ struct buf_page_struct{
 					frees a page in buffer pool */
 # endif /* UNIV_DEBUG_FILE_ACCESSES */
 #endif /* !UNIV_HOTBACKUP */
-	buf_pool_t*	buf_pool;	/*!< buffer pool instance this
-					page belongs to */
 };
 
 /** The buffer control block structure */
diff --git a/storage/innobase/include/buf0buf.ic b/storage/innobase/include/buf0buf.ic
index 713b7cb990d..e2e83de0a78 100644
--- a/storage/innobase/include/buf0buf.ic
+++ b/storage/innobase/include/buf0buf.ic
@@ -46,6 +46,48 @@ buf_pool_get_curr_size(void)
 	return(srv_buf_pool_curr_size);
 }
 
+/********************************************************************//**
+Calculates the index of a buffer pool to the buf_pool[] array.
+@return	the position of the buffer pool in buf_pool[] */
+UNIV_INLINE
+ulint
+buf_pool_index(
+/*===========*/
+	const buf_pool_t*	buf_pool)	/*!< in: buffer pool */
+{
+	ulint	i = buf_pool - buf_pool_ptr;
+	ut_ad(i < MAX_BUFFER_POOLS);
+	ut_ad(i < srv_buf_pool_instances);
+	return(i);
+}
+
+/******************************************************************//**
+Returns the buffer pool instance given a page instance
+@return buf_pool */
+UNIV_INLINE
+buf_pool_t*
+buf_pool_from_bpage(
+/*================*/
+	const buf_page_t*	bpage) /*!< in: buffer pool page */
+{
+	ulint	i;
+	i = bpage->buf_pool_index;
+	ut_ad(i < srv_buf_pool_instances);
+	return(&buf_pool_ptr[i]);
+}
+
+/******************************************************************//**
+Returns the buffer pool instance given a block instance
+@return buf_pool */
+UNIV_INLINE
+buf_pool_t*
+buf_pool_from_block(
+/*================*/
+	const buf_block_t*	block) /*!< in: block */
+{
+	return(buf_pool_from_bpage(&block->page));
+}
+
 /*********************************************************************//**
 Gets the current size of buffer buf_pool in pages.
 @return size in pages*/
@@ -885,33 +927,6 @@ buf_block_buf_fix_dec(
 #endif
 }
 
-/******************************************************************//**
-Returns the buffer pool instance given a page instance
-@return buf_pool */
-UNIV_INLINE
-buf_pool_t*
-buf_pool_from_bpage(
-/*================*/
-	const buf_page_t*	bpage) /*!< in: buffer pool page */
-{
-	/* Every page must be in some buffer pool. */
-	ut_ad(bpage->buf_pool != NULL);
-
-	return(bpage->buf_pool);
-}
-
-/******************************************************************//**
-Returns the buffer pool instance given a block instance
-@return buf_pool */
-UNIV_INLINE
-buf_pool_t*
-buf_pool_from_block(
-/*================*/
-	const buf_block_t*	block) /*!< in: block */
-{
-	return(buf_pool_from_bpage(&block->page));
-}
-
 /******************************************************************//**
 Returns the buffer pool instance given space and offset of page
 @return buffer pool */
@@ -929,7 +944,7 @@ buf_pool_get(
 	ignored_offset = offset >> 6; /* 2log of BUF_READ_AHEAD_AREA (64)*/
 	fold = buf_page_address_fold(space, ignored_offset);
 	index = fold % srv_buf_pool_instances;
-	return buf_pool_ptr[index];
+	return(&buf_pool_ptr[index]);
 }
 
 /******************************************************************//**
@@ -939,10 +954,12 @@ UNIV_INLINE
 buf_pool_t*
 buf_pool_from_array(
 /*================*/
-	ulint	index) 		/*!< in: array index to get
+	ulint	index)		/*!< in: array index to get
 				buffer pool instance from */
 {
-	return buf_pool_ptr[index];
+	ut_ad(index < MAX_BUFFER_POOLS);
+	ut_ad(index < srv_buf_pool_instances);
+	return(&buf_pool_ptr[index]);
 }
 
 /******************************************************************//**