diff --git a/group_vars/osds b/group_vars/osds
index 26af41fc1..4468f8341 100644
--- a/group_vars/osds
+++ b/group_vars/osds
@@ -49,3 +49,10 @@ raw_journal_device: /dev/sdb
 
 raw_multi_journal: false
 raw_journal_devices:  [ '/dev/sdb', '/dev/sdb', '/dev/sdc', '/dev/sdc' ]
+
+
+# IV. Fourth scenario: use directory instead of disk for OSDs
+# Use 'true' to enable this scenario
+
+osd_directory: false
+osd_directories: [ '/var/lib/ceph/osd/mydir1', '/var/lib/ceph/osd/mydir2', '/var/lib/ceph/osd/mydir3', '/var/lib/ceph/osd/mydir4']
diff --git a/roles/osd/tasks/main.yml b/roles/osd/tasks/main.yml
index ece7dd72e..1ff2a2db2 100644
--- a/roles/osd/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/osd/tasks/main.yml
@@ -10,3 +10,6 @@
 
 - include: raw_multi_journal.yml
   when: raw_multi_journal
+
+- include: osd_directory.yml
+  when: osd_directory
diff --git a/roles/osd/tasks/osd_directory.yml b/roles/osd/tasks/osd_directory.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8340aa08f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/osd/tasks/osd_directory.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+---
+## SCENARIO 4: USE A DIRECTORY INSTEAD OF A DISK FOR OSD
+#
+
+- name: Install dependancies
+  apt: pkg=parted state=present
+  when: ansible_os_family == 'Debian'
+
+- name: Install dependancies
+  yum: name=parted state=present
+  when: ansible_os_family == 'RedHat'
+
+- name: Copy OSD bootstrap key
+  copy: src=fetch/{{ fsid }}/var/lib/ceph/bootstrap-osd/ceph.keyring dest=/var/lib/ceph/bootstrap-osd/ceph.keyring owner=root group=root mode=600
+  when: cephx
+
+# NOTE (leseb): we do not check the filesystem underneath the directory
+# so it is really up to you to configure this properly.
+# Declaring more than one directory on the same filesystem will confuse Ceph.
+
+- name: Create OSD directories
+  file: path={{ item }} state=directory owner=root group=root
+  with_items: osd_directories
+
+# Prepare means
+# - create GPT partition
+# - mark the partition with the ceph type uuid
+# - create a file system
+# - mark the fs as ready for ceph consumption
+# - entire data disk is used (one big partition)
+# - a new partition is added to the journal disk (so it can be easily shared)
+#
+
+# NOTE (leseb): the prepare process must be parallelized somehow...
+# if you have 64 disks with 4TB each, this will take a while
+# since Ansible will sequential process the loop
+
+- name: Prepare OSD disk(s)
+  command: ceph-disk prepare {{ item }}
+  when: osd_directory
+  with_items: osd_directories
+
+# Activate means:
+# - mount the volume in a temp location
+# - allocate an osd id (if needed)
+# - remount in the correct location /var/lib/ceph/osd/$cluster-$id
+# - start ceph-osd
+#
+
+- name: Activate OSD(s)
+  command: ceph-disk activate {{ item }}
+  with_items: osd_directories
+  changed_when: False
+
+- name: Start and add that the OSD service to the init sequence
+  service: name=ceph state=started enabled=yes