diff --git a/clientside/tmcc/freenas8/bscontrol.proxy.pl b/clientside/tmcc/freenas8/bscontrol.proxy.pl
index c3f1d119fd823b6421ee2373bd0acf4e01784e9d..639202e0e2f29831151b9a5bc625f6a216eb0422 100644
--- a/clientside/tmcc/freenas8/bscontrol.proxy.pl
+++ b/clientside/tmcc/freenas8/bscontrol.proxy.pl
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl -wT
 #
-# Copyright (c) 2013 University of Utah and the Flux Group.
+# Copyright (c) 2013-2014 University of Utah and the Flux Group.
 # 
 # {{{EMULAB-LICENSE
 # 
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ sub usage()
     print STDERR "commands:\n";
     print STDERR "   pools    Print size info about pools\n";
     print STDERR "   volumes  Print info about volumes\n";
-    print STDERR "   create <pool> <vol> <size>\n";
-    print STDERR "            Create <vol> in <pool> with <size> in MiB\n";
+    print STDERR "   create <pool> <vol> <size> [ <fstype> ]\n";
+    print STDERR "            Create <vol> in <pool> with <size> in MiB; optionally create a filesystem of type <fstype> on it\n";
     print STDERR "   destroy <pool> <vol>\n";
     print STDERR "            Destroy <vol> in <pool>\n";
     exit(-1);
@@ -132,9 +132,9 @@ sub volumes()
     return 0;
 }
 
-sub create($$$)
+sub create($$$;$)
 {
-    my ($pool,$vol,$size) = @_;
+    my ($pool,$vol,$size,$fstype) = @_;
 
     if (defined($pool) && $pool =~ /^([-\w]+)$/) {
 	$pool = $1;
@@ -154,8 +154,21 @@ sub create($$$)
 	print STDERR "bscontrol_proxy: bogus size arg\n";
 	return 1;
     }
+    if (!defined($fstype)) {
+	$fstype = "none";
+    } elsif ($fstype =~ /^(ext2|ext3|ext4|ufs)$/) {
+	$fstype = $1;
+    } else {
+	print STDERR "bscontrol_proxy: bogus fstype arg\n";
+	return 1;
+    }
+
+    my $rv = freenasVolumeCreate($pool, $vol, $size);
+    if ($rv == 0 && $fstype ne "none") {
+	$rv = freenasFSCreate($pool, $vol, $fstype);
+    }
 
-    return freenasVolumeCreate($pool, $vol, $size);
+    return $rv;
 }
 
 sub destroy($$$)
diff --git a/clientside/tmcc/freenas8/libfreenas.pm b/clientside/tmcc/freenas8/libfreenas.pm
index 1a955f5012e6a2fa1e10cdf6a541c6f25d00bc50..fa80db90db101a0162d9adae159412b45cbab205 100644
--- a/clientside/tmcc/freenas8/libfreenas.pm
+++ b/clientside/tmcc/freenas8/libfreenas.pm
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/perl -wT
 #
-# Copyright (c) 2013 University of Utah and the Flux Group.
+# Copyright (c) 2013-2014 University of Utah and the Flux Group.
 # 
 # {{{EMULAB-LICENSE
 # 
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ use Exporter;
 @EXPORT =
     qw( 
 	freenasPoolList freenasVolumeList
-	freenasVolumeCreate freenasVolumeDestroy
+	freenasVolumeCreate freenasVolumeDestroy freenasFSCreate
 	freenasRunCmd freenasParseListing
 	$FREENAS_CLI_VERB_IFACE $FREENAS_CLI_VERB_IST_EXTENT
 	$FREENAS_CLI_VERB_IST_AUTHI $FREENAS_CLI_VERB_IST_TARGET
@@ -84,6 +84,8 @@ my $VOLUME_BUSY_WAIT      = 10;
 my $VOLUME_GONE_WAIT      = 5;
 my $IFCONFIG             = "/sbin/ifconfig";
 my $ALIASMASK            = "255.255.255.255";
+my $LINUX_MKFS		 = "/usr/local/sbin/mke2fs";
+my $FBSD_MKFS		 = "/sbin/newfs";
 
 # storageconfig constants
 # XXX: should go somewhere more general
@@ -114,6 +116,7 @@ sub freenasPoolList();
 sub freenasVolumeList($);
 sub freenasVolumeCreate($$$);
 sub freenasVolumeDestroy($$);
+sub freenasFSCreate($$$);
 sub freenasRunCmd($$);
 sub freenasParseListing($);
 
@@ -367,6 +370,27 @@ sub freenasParseListing($) {
     return @retlist;
 }
 
+sub freenasFSCreate($$$) {
+    my ($pool,$vol,$fstype) = @_;
+    my $cmd;
+
+    if ($fstype =~ /^ext[234]$/) {
+	$cmd = "$LINUX_MKFS -t $fstype -o Linux";
+    } elsif ($fstype eq "ufs") {
+	$cmd = "$FBSD_MKFS";
+    } else {
+	warn("*** WARNING: freenasFSCreate: unknown fs type '$fstype'");
+	return -1;
+    }
+    my $redir = ">/dev/null 2>&1";
+    if (system("$cmd /dev/zvol/$pool/$vol $redir") != 0) {
+	warn("*** WARNING: freenasFSCreate: '$cmd /dev/zvol/$pool/$vol' failed");
+	return -1;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
 #######################################################################
 # package-local functions
 #