diff --git a/module/zfs/include/sys/spa_impl.h b/module/zfs/include/sys/spa_impl.h
index 84da684885..8a931a0531 100644
--- a/module/zfs/include/sys/spa_impl.h
+++ b/module/zfs/include/sys/spa_impl.h
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ struct spa {
 	refcount_t	spa_refcount;		/* number of opens */
 };
 
-extern const char *spa_config_path;
+extern char *spa_config_path;
 
 #define	BOOTFS_COMPRESS_VALID(compress) \
 	((compress) == ZIO_COMPRESS_LZJB || \
diff --git a/module/zfs/spa_config.c b/module/zfs/spa_config.c
index a589f07584..19dca52c12 100644
--- a/module/zfs/spa_config.c
+++ b/module/zfs/spa_config.c
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ static uint64_t spa_config_generation = 1;
  * This can be overridden in userland to preserve an alternate namespace for
  * userland pools when doing testing.
  */
-const char *spa_config_path = ZPOOL_CACHE;
+char *spa_config_path = ZPOOL_CACHE;
 
 /*
  * Called when the module is first loaded, this routine loads the configuration
@@ -450,4 +450,7 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(spa_all_configs);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(spa_config_set);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(spa_config_generate);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(spa_config_update);
+
+module_param(spa_config_path, charp, 0444);
+MODULE_PARM_DESC(spa_config_path, "SPA config file (/etc/zfs/zpool.cache)");
 #endif
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.am b/scripts/Makefile.am
index 525a0a8759..45a889ecf8 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.am
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.am
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@ check:
 	@$(ZFS) -u
 	@echo
 	@echo
-	@echo -n "===================================="
+	@echo -n "==================================="
 	@echo -n " ZCONFIG "
-	@echo    "===================================="
+	@echo    "==================================="
 	@echo
 	@$(ZCONFIG)
 	@echo
diff --git a/scripts/zconfig.sh b/scripts/zconfig.sh
index a90d984fc6..7a215dcee3 100755
--- a/scripts/zconfig.sh
+++ b/scripts/zconfig.sh
@@ -53,32 +53,66 @@ zconfig_test1() {
 	POOL_NAME=test1
 	TMP_FILE1=`mktemp`
 	TMP_FILE2=`mktemp`
+	TMP_CACHE=`mktemp -p /tmp zpool.cache.XXXXXXXX`
 
 	echo -n "test 1 - persistent zpool.cache: "
 
 	# Create a pool save its status for comparison.
-	${ZFS_SH} || fail 1
+	${ZFS_SH} zfs="spa_config_path=${TMP_CACHE}" || fail 1
 	${ZPOOL_CREATE_SH} -p ${POOL_NAME} -c lo-raidz2 || fail 2
 	${ZPOOL} status ${POOL_NAME} >${TMP_FILE1} || fail 3
 
 	# Unload/load the module stack to clear any configuration state
-	# then verify that the pool can be imported and is online.
+	# then verify the pool is defined in the cache file, it can be
+	# imported without error, and it matches the original pool.
 	${ZFS_SH} -u || fail 4
-	${ZFS_SH} || fail 5
-	${ZPOOL} import ${POOL_NAME} || fail 6
-	${ZPOOL} status ${POOL_NAME} >${TMP_FILE2} || fail 7
+	${ZFS_SH} zfs="spa_config_path=${TMP_CACHE}" || fail 5
+	${ZPOOL} import -c ${TMP_CACHE} | grep ${POOL_NAME} >/dev/null||fail 6
+	${ZPOOL} import -c ${TMP_CACHE} ${POOL_NAME} || fail 7
+	${ZPOOL} status ${POOL_NAME} >${TMP_FILE2} || fail 8
+	cmp ${TMP_FILE1} ${TMP_FILE2} || fail 9
 
-	# Compare the original and imported pool status they should match
-	cmp ${TMP_FILE1} ${TMP_FILE2} || fail 8
-
-	# Cleanup the test pool and temporary file
-	${ZPOOL_CREATE_SH} -p ${POOL_NAME} -c lo-raidz2 -d || fail 9
-	rm -f ${TMP_FILE1} ${TMP_FILE2} || fail 10
-	${ZFS_SH} -u || fail 11
+	# Cleanup the test pool and temporary files
+	${ZPOOL_CREATE_SH} -p ${POOL_NAME} -c lo-raidz2 -d || fail 10
+	rm -f ${TMP_FILE1} ${TMP_FILE2} ${TMP_CACHE} || fail 11
+	${ZFS_SH} -u || fail 12
 
 	pass
 }
-
 zconfig_test1
 
+# Validate ZFS disk scanning and import w/out zpool.cache configuration.
+zconfig_test2() {
+	POOL_NAME=test2
+	TMP_FILE1=`mktemp`
+	TMP_FILE2=`mktemp`
+	TMP_CACHE=`mktemp -p /tmp zpool.cache.XXXXXXXX`
+
+	echo -n "test 2 - scan disks for pools to import: "
+
+	# Create a pool save its status for comparison.
+	${ZFS_SH} zfs="spa_config_path=${TMP_CACHE}" || fail 1
+	${ZPOOL_CREATE_SH} -p ${POOL_NAME} -c lo-raidz2 || fail 2
+	${ZPOOL} status ${POOL_NAME} >${TMP_FILE1} || fail 3
+
+	# Unload/load the module stack to clear any configuration state
+	# then remove the cache file, probe the disks for pools, import
+	# the pool without error, and match it against the original pool.
+	${ZFS_SH} -u || fail 4
+	rm -f ${TMP_CACHE} || fail 5
+	${ZFS_SH} zfs="spa_config_path=${TMP_CACHE}" || fail 6
+	${ZPOOL} import | grep ${POOL_NAME} >/dev/null || fail 7
+	${ZPOOL} import ${POOL_NAME} || fail 8
+	${ZPOOL} status ${POOL_NAME} >${TMP_FILE2} || fail 9
+	cmp ${TMP_FILE1} ${TMP_FILE2} || fail 10
+
+	# Cleanup the test pool and temporary files
+	${ZPOOL_CREATE_SH} -p ${POOL_NAME} -c lo-raidz2 -d || fail 11
+	rm -f ${TMP_FILE1} ${TMP_FILE2} || fail 12
+	${ZFS_SH} -u || fail 13
+
+	pass
+}
+zconfig_test2
+
 exit 0