diff --git a/minix/include/minix/ipc.h b/minix/include/minix/ipc.h
index c05a5c113..6917bde51 100644
--- a/minix/include/minix/ipc.h
+++ b/minix/include/minix/ipc.h
@@ -1129,9 +1129,10 @@ _ASSERT_MSG_SIZE(mess_lsys_krn_sys_sdevio);
 typedef struct {
 	clock_t exp_time;
 	clock_t time_left;
+	clock_t uptime;
 	int abs_time;
 
-	uint8_t padding[44];
+	uint8_t padding[40];
 } mess_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm;
 _ASSERT_MSG_SIZE(mess_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm);
 
diff --git a/minix/include/minix/syslib.h b/minix/include/minix/syslib.h
index 82e05a2d0..c2ebcf2e4 100644
--- a/minix/include/minix/syslib.h
+++ b/minix/include/minix/syslib.h
@@ -107,7 +107,11 @@ int free_contig(void *addr, size_t len);
  */
 int sys_times(endpoint_t proc_ep, clock_t *user_time, clock_t *sys_time,
 	clock_t *uptime, time_t *boottime);
-int sys_setalarm(clock_t exp_time, int abs_time);
+
+#define sys_setalarm(exp, abs) sys_setalarm2(exp, abs, NULL, NULL)
+int sys_setalarm2(clock_t exp_time, int abs_time, clock_t *time_left,
+	clock_t *uptime);
+
 int sys_vtimer(endpoint_t proc_nr, int which, clock_t *newval, clock_t
 	*oldval);
 
diff --git a/minix/kernel/system/do_setalarm.c b/minix/kernel/system/do_setalarm.c
index ec1625be4..1cb1dc754 100644
--- a/minix/kernel/system/do_setalarm.c
+++ b/minix/kernel/system/do_setalarm.c
@@ -39,12 +39,17 @@ int do_setalarm(struct proc * caller, message * m_ptr)
 
   /* Return the ticks left on the previous alarm. */
   uptime = get_monotonic(); 
-  if ((tp->tmr_exp_time != TMR_NEVER) && (uptime < tp->tmr_exp_time) ) {
+  if (tp->tmr_exp_time == TMR_NEVER) {
+      m_ptr->m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.time_left = TMR_NEVER;
+  } else if (uptime < tp->tmr_exp_time) {
       m_ptr->m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.time_left = (tp->tmr_exp_time - uptime);
   } else {
       m_ptr->m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.time_left = 0;
   }
 
+  /* For the caller's convenience, also return the current time. */
+  m_ptr->m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.uptime = uptime;
+
   /* Finally, (re)set the timer depending on the expiration time. */
   if (exp_time == 0) {
       reset_kernel_timer(tp);
diff --git a/minix/lib/libsys/sys_setalarm.c b/minix/lib/libsys/sys_setalarm.c
index 935e75154..7541b9f0d 100644
--- a/minix/lib/libsys/sys_setalarm.c
+++ b/minix/lib/libsys/sys_setalarm.c
@@ -1,17 +1,26 @@
 #include "syslib.h"
 
-/*===========================================================================*
- *                               sys_setalarm		     	     	     *
- *===========================================================================*/
-int sys_setalarm(exp_time, abs_time)
-clock_t exp_time;	/* expiration time for the alarm */
-int abs_time;		/* use absolute or relative expiration time */
-{
-/* Ask the SYSTEM schedule a synchronous alarm for the caller. The process
- * number can be SELF if the caller doesn't know its process number.
+/*
+ * Ask the kernel to schedule a synchronous alarm for the caller, using either
+ * an absolute or a relative number of clock ticks.  Optionally return the time
+ * left on the previous timer (TMR_NEVER if none was set) and the current time.
  */
-    message m;
-    m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.exp_time = exp_time; /* the expiration time */
-    m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.abs_time = abs_time; /* time is absolute? */
-    return _kernel_call(SYS_SETALARM, &m);
+int
+sys_setalarm2(clock_t exp_time, int abs_time, clock_t * time_left,
+	clock_t * uptime)
+{
+	message m;
+	int r;
+
+	m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.exp_time = exp_time; /* expiration time */
+	m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.abs_time = abs_time; /* time is absolute? */
+
+	if ((r = _kernel_call(SYS_SETALARM, &m)) != OK)
+		return r;
+
+	if (time_left != NULL)
+		*time_left = m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.time_left;
+	if (uptime != NULL)
+		*uptime = m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.uptime;
+	return OK;
 }
diff --git a/minix/lib/libsys/tickdelay.c b/minix/lib/libsys/tickdelay.c
index 4b87f2c3a..c88c2a792 100644
--- a/minix/lib/libsys/tickdelay.c
+++ b/minix/lib/libsys/tickdelay.c
@@ -8,33 +8,41 @@ int tickdelay(clock_t ticks)
 {
 /* This function uses the synchronous alarm to delay for a while. This works
  * even if a previous synchronous alarm was scheduled, because the remaining
- * tick of the previous alarm are returned so that it can be rescheduled.
- * Note however that a long tick_delay (longer than the remaining time of the
+ * ticks of the previous alarm are returned so that it can be rescheduled.
+ * Note however that a long tick delay (longer than the remaining time of the
  * previous) alarm will also delay the previous alarm.
  */
-    message m, m_alarm;
-    int s;
+    clock_t time_left, uptime;
+    message m;
+    int r, status;
 
     if (ticks <= 0) return OK;		/* check for robustness */
 
-    m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.exp_time = ticks;	/* request message after ticks */
-    m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.abs_time = 0;	/* ticks are relative to now */
-    s = _kernel_call(SYS_SETALARM, &m);
-    if (s != OK) return(s);
+    /* Set the new alarm while getting the time left on the previous alarm. */
+    if ((r = sys_setalarm2(ticks, FALSE, &time_left, &uptime)) != OK)
+	return r;
 
-    sef_receive(CLOCK,&m_alarm);		/* await synchronous alarm */
-
-    /* Check if we must reschedule the current alarm. */
-    if (m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.time_left > 0 &&
-		m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.time_left != TMR_NEVER) {
-
-	m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.exp_time =
-		m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.time_left - ticks;
-
-	if (m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.exp_time <= 0)
-		m.m_lsys_krn_sys_setalarm.exp_time = 1;
-    	s = _kernel_call(SYS_SETALARM, &m);
+    /* Await synchronous alarm.  Since an alarm notification may already have
+     * been dispatched by the time that we set the new alarm, we keep going
+     * until we actually receive an alarm with a timestamp no earlier than the
+     * alarm time we expect.
+     */
+    while ((r = ipc_receive(CLOCK, &m, &status)) == OK) {
+	if (m.m_type == NOTIFY_MESSAGE &&
+	    m.m_notify.timestamp >= uptime + ticks)
+		break;
     }
 
-    return(s);
+    /* Check if we must reschedule the previous alarm. */
+    if (time_left != TMR_NEVER) {
+	if (time_left > ticks)
+		time_left -= ticks;
+	else
+		time_left = 1; /* force an alarm */
+
+	/* There's no point in returning an error from here.. */
+	(void)sys_setalarm(time_left, FALSE);
+    }
+
+    return r;
 }