diff --git a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/configure.m4 b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/configure.m4
index cf67bc4dfb..fbb4cfa34d 100644
--- a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/configure.m4
+++ b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/configure.m4
@@ -72,6 +72,8 @@ AC_DEFUN([MCA_oshmem_sshmem_verbs_CONFIG],[
 		        oshmem_verbs_sm_build_verbs=0
 		    fi
         ])
+
+    exp_reg_mr_happy=0
     AS_IF([test "$oshmem_have_mpage" = "3"],
             [
               AC_CHECK_MEMBER([struct ibv_exp_reg_shared_mr_in.exp_access],
@@ -80,7 +82,13 @@ AC_DEFUN([MCA_oshmem_sshmem_verbs_CONFIG],[
                     )],
                 [],
                 [#include <infiniband/verbs_exp.h>])
+
+                AC_CHECK_MEMBER([struct ibv_exp_reg_mr_in.create_flags],
+                [exp_reg_mr_happy=1],
+                [],
+                [#include <infiniband/verbs_exp.h>])
          ])
+    AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(MPAGE_HAVE_IBV_EXP_REG_MR_CREATE_FLAGS, $exp_reg_mr_happy, [create_flags field is part of ibv_exp_reg_mr_in]),
 
     AS_IF([test "$enable_verbs_sshmem" = "yes" -a "$oshmem_verbs_sm_build_verbs" = "0"],
           [AC_MSG_WARN([VERBS shared memory support requested but not found])
diff --git a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/sshmem_verbs_component.c b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/sshmem_verbs_component.c
index 420cad3c40..483fe7faa4 100644
--- a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/sshmem_verbs_component.c
+++ b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/sshmem_verbs_component.c
@@ -188,6 +188,9 @@ verbs_runtime_query(mca_base_module_t **module,
             mca_sshmem_verbs_fill_shared_mr(&in_smr, device->ib_pd, device->ib_mr_shared->handle,  addr, access_flag);
             ib_mr = ibv_exp_reg_shared_mr(&in_smr);
             if (NULL == ib_mr) {
+                if (mca_sshmem_verbs_component.has_shared_mr == 1)
+                    rc = OSHMEM_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+
                 mca_sshmem_verbs_component.has_shared_mr = 0;
                 rc = OSHMEM_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
             } else {
@@ -198,6 +201,14 @@ verbs_runtime_query(mca_base_module_t **module,
 #endif /* MPAGE_ENABLE */
     }
 
+#if !MPAGE_HAVE_IBV_EXP_REG_MR_CREATE_FLAGS
+    /* disqualify ourselves if we can not alloc contig
+     * pages at fixed address
+     */
+    if (mca_sshmem_verbs_component.has_shared_mr == 0)
+        rc = OSHMEM_ERR_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
+#endif
+
     /* all is well - rainbows and butterflies */
     if (!rc) {
         *priority = mca_sshmem_verbs_component.priority;
diff --git a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/sshmem_verbs_module.c b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/sshmem_verbs_module.c
index efd6b55124..4b699da943 100644
--- a/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/sshmem_verbs_module.c
+++ b/oshmem/mca/sshmem/verbs/sshmem_verbs_module.c
@@ -260,6 +260,15 @@ segment_create(map_segment_t *ds_buf,
 #endif /* MPAGE_ENABLE */
 
         struct ibv_exp_reg_mr_in in = {device->ib_pd, addr, size, access_flag|exp_access_flag, 0};
+
+#if MPAGE_HAVE_IBV_EXP_REG_MR_CREATE_FLAGS
+        if (0 == mca_sshmem_verbs_component.has_shared_mr) {
+            in.addr = (void *)mca_sshmem_base_start_address;
+            in.comp_mask    = IBV_EXP_REG_MR_CREATE_FLAGS;
+            in.create_flags = IBV_EXP_REG_MR_CREATE_CONTIG;
+            in.exp_access   = access_flag;
+        }
+#endif
         ib_mr = ibv_exp_reg_mr(&in);
         if (NULL == ib_mr) {
             OPAL_OUTPUT_VERBOSE(