diff --git a/migration/ram.c b/migration/ram.c
index 8620aa400a..021d583b9b 100644
--- a/migration/ram.c
+++ b/migration/ram.c
@@ -2798,6 +2798,18 @@ static int ram_load_postcopy(QEMUFile *f)
     return ret;
 }
 
+static bool postcopy_is_advised(void)
+{
+    PostcopyState ps = postcopy_state_get();
+    return ps >= POSTCOPY_INCOMING_ADVISE && ps < POSTCOPY_INCOMING_END;
+}
+
+static bool postcopy_is_running(void)
+{
+    PostcopyState ps = postcopy_state_get();
+    return ps >= POSTCOPY_INCOMING_LISTENING && ps < POSTCOPY_INCOMING_END;
+}
+
 static int ram_load(QEMUFile *f, void *opaque, int version_id)
 {
     int flags = 0, ret = 0, invalid_flags = 0;
@@ -2807,9 +2819,9 @@ static int ram_load(QEMUFile *f, void *opaque, int version_id)
      * If system is running in postcopy mode, page inserts to host memory must
      * be atomic
      */
-    bool postcopy_running = postcopy_state_get() >= POSTCOPY_INCOMING_LISTENING;
+    bool postcopy_running = postcopy_is_running();
     /* ADVISE is earlier, it shows the source has the postcopy capability on */
-    bool postcopy_advised = postcopy_state_get() >= POSTCOPY_INCOMING_ADVISE;
+    bool postcopy_advised = postcopy_is_advised();
 
     seq_iter++;
 
diff --git a/migration/savevm.c b/migration/savevm.c
index 192f2d82cd..b7908f62be 100644
--- a/migration/savevm.c
+++ b/migration/savevm.c
@@ -2242,13 +2242,20 @@ int save_snapshot(const char *name, Error **errp)
     return ret;
 }
 
-void qmp_xen_save_devices_state(const char *filename, Error **errp)
+void qmp_xen_save_devices_state(const char *filename, bool has_live, bool live,
+                                Error **errp)
 {
     QEMUFile *f;
     QIOChannelFile *ioc;
     int saved_vm_running;
     int ret;
 
+    if (!has_live) {
+        /* live default to true so old version of Xen tool stack can have a
+         * successfull live migration */
+        live = true;
+    }
+
     saved_vm_running = runstate_is_running();
     vm_stop(RUN_STATE_SAVE_VM);
     global_state_store_running();
@@ -2263,6 +2270,20 @@ void qmp_xen_save_devices_state(const char *filename, Error **errp)
     qemu_fclose(f);
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_setg(errp, QERR_IO_ERROR);
+    } else {
+        /* libxl calls the QMP command "stop" before calling
+         * "xen-save-devices-state" and in case of migration failure, libxl
+         * would call "cont".
+         * So call bdrv_inactivate_all (release locks) here to let the other
+         * side of the migration take controle of the images.
+         */
+        if (live && !saved_vm_running) {
+            ret = bdrv_inactivate_all();
+            if (ret) {
+                error_setg(errp, "%s: bdrv_inactivate_all() failed (%d)",
+                           __func__, ret);
+            }
+        }
     }
 
  the_end:
diff --git a/qapi/migration.json b/qapi/migration.json
index bbc4671ded..03f57c9616 100644
--- a/qapi/migration.json
+++ b/qapi/migration.json
@@ -1075,6 +1075,9 @@
 # data. See xen-save-devices-state.txt for a description of the binary
 # format.
 #
+# @live: Optional argument to ask QEMU to treat this command as part of a live
+# migration. Default to true. (since 2.11)
+#
 # Returns: Nothing on success
 #
 # Since: 1.1
@@ -1086,7 +1089,8 @@
 # <- { "return": {} }
 #
 ##
-{ 'command': 'xen-save-devices-state', 'data': {'filename': 'str'} }
+{ 'command': 'xen-save-devices-state',
+  'data': {'filename': 'str', '*live':'bool' } }
 
 ##
 # @xen-set-replication: