diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr.c b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
index 0e8d8d1..eceb4cc 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
@@ -1369,6 +1369,7 @@ static void ppc_spapr_reset(void)
     first_ppc_cpu->env.nip = SPAPR_ENTRY_POINT;
 
     spapr->cas_reboot = false;
+    spapr->os_name = OV6_NONE;
 }
 
 static void spapr_create_nvram(sPAPRMachineState *spapr)
@@ -1524,10 +1525,41 @@ static const VMStateDescription vmstate_spapr_patb_entry = {
     },
 };
 
+static bool spapr_os_name_needed(void *opaque)
+{
+    sPAPRMachineState *spapr = opaque;
+    sPAPRMachineClass *smc = SPAPR_MACHINE_GET_CLASS(spapr);
+    return smc->need_os_name;
+}
+
+static const VMStateDescription vmstate_spapr_os_name = {
+    .name = "spapr_os_name",
+    .version_id = 1,
+    .minimum_version_id = 1,
+    .needed = spapr_os_name_needed,
+    .fields = (VMStateField[]) {
+        VMSTATE_UINT8(os_name, sPAPRMachineState),
+        VMSTATE_END_OF_LIST()
+    },
+};
+
+static int spapr_pre_load(void *opaque)
+{
+    sPAPRMachineState *spapr = opaque;
+
+    /* if the os_name is not migrated from the source,
+     * we must allow hotplug, so set os_name to linux
+     */
+    spapr->os_name = OV6_LINUX;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
 static const VMStateDescription vmstate_spapr = {
     .name = "spapr",
     .version_id = 3,
     .minimum_version_id = 1,
+    .pre_load = spapr_pre_load,
     .post_load = spapr_post_load,
     .fields = (VMStateField[]) {
         /* used to be @next_irq */
@@ -1542,6 +1574,7 @@ static const VMStateDescription vmstate_spapr = {
     .subsections = (const VMStateDescription*[]) {
         &vmstate_spapr_ov5_cas,
         &vmstate_spapr_patb_entry,
+        &vmstate_spapr_os_name,
         NULL
     }
 };
@@ -3216,6 +3249,7 @@ static void spapr_machine_class_init(ObjectClass *oc, void *data)
      * in which LMBs are represented and hot-added
      */
     mc->numa_mem_align_shift = 28;
+    smc->need_os_name = true;
 }
 
 static const TypeInfo spapr_machine_info = {
@@ -3293,9 +3327,11 @@ static void spapr_machine_2_9_instance_options(MachineState *machine)
 
 static void spapr_machine_2_9_class_options(MachineClass *mc)
 {
+    sPAPRMachineClass *smc = SPAPR_MACHINE_CLASS(mc);
     spapr_machine_2_10_class_options(mc);
     SET_MACHINE_COMPAT(mc, SPAPR_COMPAT_2_9);
     mc->numa_auto_assign_ram = numa_legacy_auto_assign_ram;
+    smc->need_os_name = false;
 }
 
 DEFINE_SPAPR_MACHINE(2_9, "2.9", false);
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c b/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c
index 0d608d6..5dbe3c7 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c
@@ -1058,7 +1058,8 @@ static target_ulong h_client_architecture_support(PowerPCCPU *cpu,
     uint32_t max_compat = cpu->max_compat;
     uint32_t best_compat = 0;
     int i;
-    sPAPROptionVector *ov1_guest, *ov5_guest, *ov5_cas_old, *ov5_updates;
+    sPAPROptionVector *ov1_guest, *ov5_guest, *ov5_cas_old, *ov5_updates,
+                      *ov6_guest;
     bool guest_radix;
 
     /*
@@ -1112,6 +1113,7 @@ static target_ulong h_client_architecture_support(PowerPCCPU *cpu,
 
     ov1_guest = spapr_ovec_parse_vector(ov_table, 1);
     ov5_guest = spapr_ovec_parse_vector(ov_table, 5);
+    ov6_guest = spapr_ovec_parse_vector(ov_table, 6);
     if (spapr_ovec_test(ov5_guest, OV5_MMU_BOTH)) {
         error_report("guest requested hash and radix MMU, which is invalid.");
         exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
@@ -1154,6 +1156,7 @@ static target_ulong h_client_architecture_support(PowerPCCPU *cpu,
     }
     spapr->cas_legacy_guest_workaround = !spapr_ovec_test(ov1_guest,
                                                           OV1_PPC_3_00);
+    spapr->os_name = spapr_ovec_byte(ov6_guest, OV6_OS_NAME);
     if (!spapr->cas_reboot) {
         spapr->cas_reboot =
             (spapr_h_cas_compose_response(spapr, args[1], args[2],
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr_ovec.c b/hw/ppc/spapr_ovec.c
index 41df4c3..7adc9e6 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr_ovec.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr_ovec.c
@@ -160,6 +160,14 @@ static uint8_t guest_byte_from_bitmap(unsigned long *bitmap, long bitmap_offset)
     return entry;
 }
 
+uint8_t spapr_ovec_byte(sPAPROptionVector *ov, long bitnr)
+{
+    g_assert(ov);
+    g_assert(bitnr < OV_MAXBITS);
+
+    return guest_byte_from_bitmap(ov->bitmap, bitnr);
+}
+
 static target_ulong vector_addr(target_ulong table_addr, int vector)
 {
     uint16_t vector_count, vector_len;
diff --git a/include/hw/ppc/spapr.h b/include/hw/ppc/spapr.h
index 5802f88..041ce19 100644
--- a/include/hw/ppc/spapr.h
+++ b/include/hw/ppc/spapr.h
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ struct sPAPRMachineClass {
     /*< public >*/
     bool dr_lmb_enabled;       /* enable dynamic-reconfig/hotplug of LMBs */
     bool use_ohci_by_default;  /* use USB-OHCI instead of XHCI */
+    bool need_os_name;
     const char *tcg_default_cpu; /* which (TCG) CPU to simulate by default */
     void (*phb_placement)(sPAPRMachineState *spapr, uint32_t index,
                           uint64_t *buid, hwaddr *pio, 
@@ -90,6 +91,7 @@ struct sPAPRMachineState {
     sPAPROptionVector *ov5_cas;     /* negotiated (via CAS) option vectors */
     bool cas_reboot;
     bool cas_legacy_guest_workaround;
+    uint8_t os_name;
 
     Notifier epow_notifier;
     QTAILQ_HEAD(, sPAPREventLogEntry) pending_events;
diff --git a/include/hw/ppc/spapr_ovec.h b/include/hw/ppc/spapr_ovec.h
index f088833..c728bb3 100644
--- a/include/hw/ppc/spapr_ovec.h
+++ b/include/hw/ppc/spapr_ovec.h
@@ -56,6 +56,12 @@ typedef struct sPAPROptionVector sPAPROptionVector;
 #define OV5_MMU_RADIX_300       OV_BIT(24, 1) /* 1=Radix only, 0=Hash only */
 #define OV5_MMU_RADIX_GTSE      OV_BIT(26, 1) /* Radix GTSE */
 
+/* option vector 6 */
+#define OV6_OS_NAME             OV_BIT(3, 0)
+#define OV6_NONE                0x00
+#define OV6_AIX                 0x01
+#define OV6_LINUX               0x02
+
 /* interfaces */
 sPAPROptionVector *spapr_ovec_new(void);
 sPAPROptionVector *spapr_ovec_clone(sPAPROptionVector *ov_orig);
@@ -69,6 +75,7 @@ void spapr_ovec_cleanup(sPAPROptionVector *ov);
 void spapr_ovec_set(sPAPROptionVector *ov, long bitnr);
 void spapr_ovec_clear(sPAPROptionVector *ov, long bitnr);
 bool spapr_ovec_test(sPAPROptionVector *ov, long bitnr);
+uint8_t spapr_ovec_byte(sPAPROptionVector *ov, long bitnr);
 sPAPROptionVector *spapr_ovec_parse_vector(target_ulong table_addr, int vector);
 int spapr_ovec_populate_dt(void *fdt, int fdt_offset,
                            sPAPROptionVector *ov, const char *name);
