diff --git a/fs/orangefs/acl.c b/fs/orangefs/acl.c
index 03f89dbb..df24864 100644
--- a/fs/orangefs/acl.c
+++ b/fs/orangefs/acl.c
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@
 
 	switch (type) {
 	case ACL_TYPE_ACCESS:
-		key = ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_ACL_ACCESS;
+		key = XATTR_NAME_POSIX_ACL_ACCESS;
 		break;
 	case ACL_TYPE_DEFAULT:
-		key = ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_ACL_DEFAULT;
+		key = XATTR_NAME_POSIX_ACL_DEFAULT;
 		break;
 	default:
 		gossip_err("orangefs_get_acl: bogus value of type %d\n", type);
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
 
 	switch (type) {
 	case ACL_TYPE_ACCESS:
-		name = ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_ACL_ACCESS;
+		name = XATTR_NAME_POSIX_ACL_ACCESS;
 		if (acl) {
 			umode_t mode = inode->i_mode;
 			/*
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@
 		}
 		break;
 	case ACL_TYPE_DEFAULT:
-		name = ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_ACL_DEFAULT;
+		name = XATTR_NAME_POSIX_ACL_DEFAULT;
 		break;
 	default:
 		gossip_err("%s: invalid type %d!\n", __func__, type);
diff --git a/fs/orangefs/file.c b/fs/orangefs/file.c
index 491e82c..5160a3f 100644
--- a/fs/orangefs/file.c
+++ b/fs/orangefs/file.c
@@ -516,7 +516,7 @@
 	if (cmd == FS_IOC_GETFLAGS) {
 		val = 0;
 		ret = orangefs_inode_getxattr(file_inode(file),
-					      ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_DEFAULT_PREFIX,
+					      "",
 					      "user.pvfs2.meta_hint",
 					      &val, sizeof(val));
 		if (ret < 0 && ret != -ENODATA)
@@ -549,7 +549,7 @@
 			     "orangefs_ioctl: FS_IOC_SETFLAGS: %llu\n",
 			     (unsigned long long)val);
 		ret = orangefs_inode_setxattr(file_inode(file),
-					      ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_DEFAULT_PREFIX,
+					      "",
 					      "user.pvfs2.meta_hint",
 					      &val, sizeof(val), 0);
 	}
diff --git a/fs/orangefs/orangefs-kernel.h b/fs/orangefs/orangefs-kernel.h
index 2281882..6503e37 100644
--- a/fs/orangefs/orangefs-kernel.h
+++ b/fs/orangefs/orangefs-kernel.h
@@ -119,17 +119,6 @@
 #define ORANGEFS_CACHE_CREATE_FLAGS 0
 #endif /* ((defined ORANGEFS_KERNEL_DEBUG) && (defined CONFIG_DEBUG_SLAB)) */
 
-/* orangefs xattr and acl related defines */
-#define ORANGEFS_XATTR_INDEX_POSIX_ACL_ACCESS  1
-#define ORANGEFS_XATTR_INDEX_POSIX_ACL_DEFAULT 2
-#define ORANGEFS_XATTR_INDEX_TRUSTED           3
-#define ORANGEFS_XATTR_INDEX_DEFAULT           4
-
-#define ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_ACL_ACCESS XATTR_NAME_POSIX_ACL_ACCESS
-#define ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_ACL_DEFAULT XATTR_NAME_POSIX_ACL_DEFAULT
-#define ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_TRUSTED_PREFIX "trusted."
-#define ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_DEFAULT_PREFIX ""
-
 /* these functions are defined in orangefs-utils.c */
 int orangefs_prepare_cdm_array(char *debug_array_string);
 int orangefs_prepare_debugfs_help_string(int);
diff --git a/fs/orangefs/xattr.c b/fs/orangefs/xattr.c
index 5893ddd..f387e8a 100644
--- a/fs/orangefs/xattr.c
+++ b/fs/orangefs/xattr.c
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@
 				      int flags)
 {
 	return orangefs_inode_setxattr(inode,
-				    ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_DEFAULT_PREFIX,
+				    "",
 				    name,
 				    buffer,
 				    size,
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@
 				      size_t size)
 {
 	return orangefs_inode_getxattr(inode,
-				    ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_DEFAULT_PREFIX,
+				    "",
 				    name,
 				    buffer,
 				    size);
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@
 				     int flags)
 {
 	return orangefs_inode_setxattr(inode,
-				    ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_TRUSTED_PREFIX,
+				    XATTR_TRUSTED_PREFIX,
 				    name,
 				    buffer,
 				    size,
@@ -502,25 +502,20 @@
 				      size_t size)
 {
 	return orangefs_inode_getxattr(inode,
-				    ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_TRUSTED_PREFIX,
+				    XATTR_TRUSTED_PREFIX,
 				    name,
 				    buffer,
 				    size);
 }
 
 static struct xattr_handler orangefs_xattr_trusted_handler = {
-	.prefix = ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_TRUSTED_PREFIX,
+	.prefix = XATTR_TRUSTED_PREFIX,
 	.get = orangefs_xattr_get_trusted,
 	.set = orangefs_xattr_set_trusted,
 };
 
 static struct xattr_handler orangefs_xattr_default_handler = {
-	/*
-	 * NOTE: this is set to be the empty string.
-	 * so that all un-prefixed xattrs keys get caught
-	 * here!
-	 */
-	.prefix = ORANGEFS_XATTR_NAME_DEFAULT_PREFIX,
+	.prefix = "",  /* match any name => handlers called with full name */
 	.get = orangefs_xattr_get_default,
 	.set = orangefs_xattr_set_default,
 };