diff --git a/repos/os/run/lx_block.run b/repos/os/run/lx_block.run
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0138bb9d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/repos/os/run/lx_block.run
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+#
+# Test runs only on Linux
+#
+assert_spec linux
+
+#
+# Build
+#
+build { core init drivers/timer server/lx_block test/blk/bench }
+
+create_boot_directory
+
+#
+# Generate config
+#
+install_config {
+<config>
+	<parent-provides>
+		<service name="ROM"/>
+		<service name="IRQ"/>
+		<service name="IO_MEM"/>
+		<service name="IO_PORT"/>
+		<service name="PD"/>
+		<service name="RM"/>
+		<service name="CPU"/>
+		<service name="LOG"/>
+		<service name="TRACE"/>
+	</parent-provides>
+	<default-route>
+		<any-service> <parent/> <any-child/> </any-service>
+	</default-route>
+	<default caps="100"/>
+	<start name="timer">
+		<resource name="RAM" quantum="1M"/>
+		<provides><service name="Timer"/></provides>
+	</start>
+	<start name="lx_block">
+		<resource name="RAM" quantum="2M"/>
+		<provides> <service name="Block"/> </provides>
+		<config file="lx_block.img" block_size="4K" writeable="yes"/>
+	</start>
+	<start name="test-blk-bench">
+		<resource name="RAM" quantum="24M"/>
+	</start>
+</config>}
+
+#
+# Create test file
+#
+catch { exec dd if=/dev/zero of=bin/lx_block.img bs=1M count=64 }
+
+#
+# Boot modules
+#
+build_boot_image { core ld.lib.so init timer lx_block lx_block.img test-blk-bench }
+
+run_genode_until "Done.*\n" 100
+
+exec rm -f bin/lx_block.img
diff --git a/repos/os/src/server/lx_block/README b/repos/os/src/server/lx_block/README
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..94f1cd9e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/repos/os/src/server/lx_block/README
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+This directory contains an Genode Block service that uses a file on
+a Linux system as backing store.
+
+Configuration
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The backing store is specified by the 'file' attribute. The pretended
+block size is specified by the 'block_size' attribute. In case it is
+omitted, a default block size of 512 bytes is used. To allow write
+access, the 'writeable' attribute must be set to 'yes'. By default only
+read-only access it allowed.
+
+An example configuration is shown in the the following config snippet:
+
+!<config file="/foo/bar/block.img" block_size="512" writeable="yes"/>
+
+
+Notes
+~~~~~
+
+The backing file is opened with blocking semantics and thereby the block
+session is used synchronously.
diff --git a/repos/os/src/server/lx_block/main.cc b/repos/os/src/server/lx_block/main.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..294776833
--- /dev/null
+++ b/repos/os/src/server/lx_block/main.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,194 @@
+/*
+ * \brief  Linux file as a block session
+ * \author Josef Soentgen
+ * \date   2017-07-05
+ */
+
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2017 Genode Labs GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Genode OS framework, which is distributed
+ * under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2.
+ */
+
+/* Genode includes */
+#include <base/attached_rom_dataspace.h>
+#include <base/component.h>
+#include <base/heap.h>
+#include <base/log.h>
+#include <block/component.h>
+#include <block/driver.h>
+#include <util/string.h>
+
+/* libc includes */
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <stdio.h> /* perror */
+
+
+static bool xml_attr_ok(Genode::Xml_node node, char const *attr)
+{
+	return node.attribute_value(attr, false);
+}
+
+
+class Lx_block_driver : public Block::Driver
+{
+	private:
+
+		Genode::Env &_env;
+
+		Block::sector_t            _block_count {   0 };
+		Genode::size_t             _block_size  { 512 };
+		Block::Session::Operations _block_ops;
+
+		int _fd { -1 };
+
+	public:
+
+		struct Could_not_open_file : Genode::Exception { };
+
+		Lx_block_driver(Genode::Env &env, Genode::Xml_node config)
+		: Block::Driver(env.ram()), _env(env)
+		{
+			Genode::String<256> file;
+			try {
+				config.attribute("file").value(&file);
+			} catch (...) {
+				Genode::error("mandatory file attribute missing");
+				throw Could_not_open_file();
+			}
+
+			try {
+				Genode::Number_of_bytes bytes;
+				config.attribute("block_size").value(&bytes);
+				_block_size = bytes;
+			} catch (...) {
+				Genode::warning("block size missing, assuming 512b");
+			}
+
+			bool const writeable = xml_attr_ok(config, "writeable");
+
+			struct stat st;
+			if (stat(file.string(), &st)) {
+				perror("stat");
+				throw Could_not_open_file();
+			}
+
+			_block_count = st.st_size / _block_size;
+
+			/* open file */
+			_fd = open(file.string(), writeable ? O_RDWR : O_RDONLY);
+			if (_fd == -1) {
+				perror("open");
+				throw Could_not_open_file();
+			}
+
+			_block_ops.set_operation(Block::Packet_descriptor::READ);
+			if (writeable) {
+				_block_ops.set_operation(Block::Packet_descriptor::WRITE);
+			}
+
+			Genode::log("Provide '", file.string(), "' as block device "
+			            "block_size: ", _block_size, " block_count: ",
+			            _block_count, " writeable: ", writeable ? "yes" : "no");
+		}
+
+		~Lx_block_driver() { close(_fd); }
+
+
+		/*****************************
+		 ** Block::Driver interface **
+		 *****************************/
+
+		Genode::size_t      block_size() override { return _block_size;  }
+		Block::sector_t    block_count() override { return _block_count; }
+		Block::Session::Operations ops() override { return _block_ops;   }
+
+		void read(Block::sector_t           block_number,
+		          Genode::size_t            block_count,
+		          char                     *buffer,
+		          Block::Packet_descriptor &packet) override
+		{
+			/* range check is done by Block::Driver */
+			if (!_block_ops.supported(Block::Packet_descriptor::READ)) {
+				throw Io_error();
+			}
+
+			off_t const offset = block_number * _block_size;
+			size_t const count = block_count * _block_size;
+
+			ssize_t const n = pread(_fd, buffer, count, offset);
+			if (n == -1) {
+				perror("pread");
+				throw Io_error();
+			}
+
+			ack_packet(packet);
+		}
+
+		void write(Block::sector_t           block_number,
+		           Genode::size_t            block_count,
+		           char const               *buffer,
+		           Block::Packet_descriptor &packet) override
+		{
+			/* range check is done by Block::Driver */
+			if (!_block_ops.supported(Block::Packet_descriptor::WRITE)) {
+				throw Io_error();
+			}
+
+			off_t const offset = block_number * _block_size;
+			size_t const count = block_count * _block_size;
+
+			ssize_t const n = pwrite(_fd, buffer, count, offset);
+			if (n == -1) {
+				perror("pwrite");
+				throw Io_error();
+			}
+
+			ack_packet(packet);
+		}
+
+		void sync() { }
+};
+
+
+struct Main
+{
+	Genode::Env  &_env;
+	Genode::Heap  _heap { _env.ram(), _env.rm() };
+
+	Genode::Attached_rom_dataspace _config_rom { _env, "config" };
+
+	struct Factory : Block::Driver_factory
+	{
+		Genode::Constructible<Lx_block_driver> _driver;
+
+		Factory(Genode::Env &env, Genode::Xml_node config)
+		{
+			_driver.construct(env, config);
+		}
+
+		~Factory() { _driver.destruct(); }
+
+		/***********************
+		 ** Factory interface **
+		 ***********************/
+
+		Block::Driver *create() { return &*_driver; }
+		void destroy(Block::Driver *) { }
+	} factory { _env, _config_rom.xml() };
+
+	Block::Root root { _env.ep(), _heap, _env.rm(), factory,
+	                   xml_attr_ok(_config_rom.xml(), "writeable") };
+
+	Main(Genode::Env &env) : _env(env)
+	{
+		_env.parent().announce(_env.ep().manage(root));
+	}
+};
+
+
+void Component::construct(Genode::Env &env) { static Main main(env); }
diff --git a/repos/os/src/server/lx_block/target.mk b/repos/os/src/server/lx_block/target.mk
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..23d4b49f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/repos/os/src/server/lx_block/target.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+TARGET   = lx_block
+REQUIRES = linux
+
+SRC_CC   = main.cc
+LIBS     = lx_hybrid
+
+INC_DIR += $(PRG_DIR) /usr/include