diff --git a/meta/conf/bitbake.conf b/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
index 0e3934b598..49ea3fc959 100644
--- a/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
+++ b/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
@@ -313,15 +313,17 @@ IMAGE_BASENAME = "${PN}"
 IMAGE_NAME = "${IMAGE_BASENAME}-${MACHINE}-${DATETIME}"
 IMAGE_LINK_NAME = "${IMAGE_BASENAME}-${MACHINE}"
 IMAGE_EXTRA_SPACE ?= 81920
+# Comment this option if you want default genext2fs behavior (i.e. create minimal inode number)
+IMAGE_EXTRA_OPTION ?= "-i 8192"
 
 IMAGE_CMD = ""
 IMAGE_CMD_jffs2 = "mkfs.jffs2 --root=${IMAGE_ROOTFS} --faketime --output=${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.jffs2 ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD}"
 IMAGE_CMD_yaffs2 = "mkyaffs2image ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD} ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.yaffs2"
 IMAGE_CMD_cramfs = "mkcramfs ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.cramfs ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD}"
-IMAGE_CMD_ext2 = "genext2fs -b $ROOTFS_SIZE -d ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext2 ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD}"
-IMAGE_CMD_ext2.gz = "rm -rf ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz && mkdir ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz; genext2fs -b ${IMAGE_ROOTFS_SIZE} -d ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext2 ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD}; gzip -f -9 ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext2; mv ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext2.gz ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext2.gz; rmdir ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz"
-IMAGE_CMD_ext3 = "genext2fs -b $ROOTFS_SIZE -d ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3 ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD}; tune2fs -j ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3"
-IMAGE_CMD_ext3.gz = "rm -rf ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz && mkdir ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz; genext2fs -b ${IMAGE_ROOTFS_SIZE} -d ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3 ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD}; tune2fs -j ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3; gzip -f -9 ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3; mv ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3.gz ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3.gz; rmdir ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz"
+IMAGE_CMD_ext2 = "genext2fs -b $ROOTFS_SIZE -d ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${IMAGE_EXTRA_OPTION} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext2 ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD}"
+IMAGE_CMD_ext2.gz = "rm -rf ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz && mkdir ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz; genext2fs -b ${IMAGE_ROOTFS_SIZE} -d ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${IMAGE_EXTRA_OPTION} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext2 ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD}; gzip -f -9 ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext2; mv ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext2.gz ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext2.gz; rmdir ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz"
+IMAGE_CMD_ext3 = "genext2fs -b $ROOTFS_SIZE -d ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${IMAGE_EXTRA_OPTION} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3 ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD}; tune2fs -j ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3"
+IMAGE_CMD_ext3.gz = "rm -rf ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz && mkdir ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz; genext2fs -b ${IMAGE_ROOTFS_SIZE} -d ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${IMAGE_EXTRA_OPTION} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3 ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD}; tune2fs -j ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3; gzip -f -9 ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3; mv ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3.gz ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.ext3.gz; rmdir ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/tmp.gz"
 IMAGE_CMD_squashfs = "mksquashfs ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.squashfs ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD} -noappend"
 IMAGE_CMD_squashfs-lzma = "mksquashfs-lzma ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.squashfs-lzma ${EXTRA_IMAGECMD} -noappend"
 IMAGE_CMD_tar = "cd ${IMAGE_ROOTFS} && tar -cvf ${DEPLOY_DIR_IMAGE}/${IMAGE_NAME}.rootfs.tar ."