diff --git a/headers/private/shared/locks.h b/headers/private/shared/locks.h
index a34f2d20c1..39d3d1c537 100644
--- a/headers/private/shared/locks.h
+++ b/headers/private/shared/locks.h
@@ -81,6 +81,13 @@ status_t	lazy_recursive_lock_lock(lazy_recursive_lock *lock);
 void		lazy_recursive_lock_unlock(lazy_recursive_lock *lock);
 int32		lazy_recursive_lock_get_recursion(lazy_recursive_lock *lock);
 
+
+#define		INIT_ONCE_UNINITIALIZED	-1
+#define		INIT_ONCE_INITIALIZED	-4
+
+status_t	__init_once(vint32* control, status_t (*initRoutine)(void*),
+				void* data);
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 } // extern "C"
 
diff --git a/src/system/libroot/os/locks/init_once.cpp b/src/system/libroot/os/locks/init_once.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2ec5e7e824
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/system/libroot/os/locks/init_once.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2008-2009, Ingo Weinhold, ingo_weinhold@gmx.de.
+ * Distributed under the terms of the MIT License.
+ */
+
+
+#include <locks.h>
+
+
+enum {
+	STATE_UNINITIALIZED	= -1,	// keep in sync with INIT_ONCE_UNINITIALIZED
+	STATE_INITIALIZING	= -2,
+	STATE_SPINNING		= -3,
+	STATE_INITIALIZED	= -4	// keep in sync with INIT_ONCE_INITIALIZED
+};
+
+
+status_t
+__init_once(vint32* control, status_t (*initRoutine)(void*), void* data)
+{
+	// Algorithm:
+	// The control variable goes through at most four states:
+	// STATE_UNINITIALIZED: The initial uninitialized state.
+	// STATE_INITIALIZING: Set by the first thread entering the function. It
+	// will call initRoutine.
+	// semaphore/STATE_SPINNING: Set by the second thread entering the function,
+	// when the first thread is still executing initRoutine. The normal case is
+	// that the thread manages to create a semaphore. This thread (and all
+	// following threads) will block on the semaphore until the first thread is
+	// done.
+	// STATE_INITIALIZED: Set by the first thread when it returns from
+	// initRoutine. All following threads will return right away.
+
+	int32 value = atomic_test_and_set(control, STATE_INITIALIZING,
+		STATE_UNINITIALIZED);
+
+	if (value == STATE_INITIALIZED)
+		return 0;
+
+	if (value == STATE_UNINITIALIZED) {
+		// we're the first -- perform the initialization
+		initRoutine(data);
+
+		value = atomic_set(control, STATE_INITIALIZED);
+
+		// If someone else is waiting, we need to delete the semaphore.
+		if (value >= 0)
+			delete_sem(value);
+
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	if (value == STATE_INITIALIZING) {
+		// someone is initializing -- we need to create a semaphore we can wait
+		// on
+		sem_id semaphore = create_sem(0, "pthread once");
+		if (semaphore >= 0) {
+			// successfully created -- set it
+			value = atomic_test_and_set(control, semaphore, STATE_INITIALIZING);
+			if (value == STATE_INITIALIZING)
+				value = semaphore;
+			else
+				delete_sem(semaphore);
+		} else {
+			// Failed to create the semaphore. Can only happen when the system
+			// runs out of semaphores, but we can still handle the situation
+			// gracefully by spinning.
+			value = atomic_test_and_set(control, STATE_SPINNING,
+				STATE_INITIALIZING);
+			if (value == STATE_INITIALIZING)
+				value = STATE_SPINNING;
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (value >= 0) {
+		// wait on the semaphore
+		while (acquire_sem(value) == B_INTERRUPTED);
+
+		return 0;
+	} else if (value == STATE_SPINNING) {
+		// out of semaphores -- spin
+		while (atomic_get(control) == STATE_SPINNING);
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}