diff --git a/Makefile.objs b/Makefile.objs
index 22622a9..636f5c1 100644
--- a/Makefile.objs
+++ b/Makefile.objs
@@ -109,10 +109,15 @@ ui-obj-y += vnc-enc-tight.o
 ui-obj-$(CONFIG_VNC_TLS) += vnc-tls.o vnc-auth-vencrypt.o
 ui-obj-$(CONFIG_VNC_SASL) += vnc-auth-sasl.o
 ui-obj-$(CONFIG_COCOA) += cocoa.o
+ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+ui-obj-y += vnc-jobs-async.o
+else
+ui-obj-y += vnc-jobs-sync.o
+endif
 common-obj-y += $(addprefix ui/, $(ui-obj-y))
 
 common-obj-y += iov.o acl.o
-common-obj-$(CONFIG_IOTHREAD) += qemu-thread.o
+common-obj-$(CONFIG_THREAD) += qemu-thread.o
 common-obj-y += notify.o event_notifier.o
 common-obj-y += qemu-timer.o
 
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 679f2fc..6f2e3a7 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -264,6 +264,7 @@ vde=""
 vnc_tls=""
 vnc_sasl=""
 vnc_jpeg=""
+vnc_thread=""
 xen=""
 linux_aio=""
 vhost_net=""
@@ -552,6 +553,10 @@ for opt do
   ;;
   --enable-vnc-jpeg) vnc_jpeg="yes"
   ;;
+  --disable-vnc-thread) vnc_thread="no"
+  ;;
+  --enable-vnc-thread) vnc_thread="yes"
+  ;;
   --disable-slirp) slirp="no"
   ;;
   --disable-uuid) uuid="no"
@@ -786,6 +791,8 @@ echo "  --disable-vnc-sasl       disable SASL encryption for VNC server"
 echo "  --enable-vnc-sasl        enable SASL encryption for VNC server"
 echo "  --disable-vnc-jpeg       disable JPEG lossy compression for VNC server"
 echo "  --enable-vnc-jpeg        enable JPEG lossy compression for VNC server"
+echo "  --disable-vnc-thread     disable threaded VNC server"
+echo "  --enable-vnc-thread      enable threaded VNC server"
 echo "  --disable-curses         disable curses output"
 echo "  --enable-curses          enable curses output"
 echo "  --disable-curl           disable curl connectivity"
@@ -2048,6 +2055,7 @@ echo "Mixer emulation   $mixemu"
 echo "VNC TLS support   $vnc_tls"
 echo "VNC SASL support  $vnc_sasl"
 echo "VNC JPEG support  $vnc_jpeg"
+echo "VNC thread        $vnc_thread"
 if test -n "$sparc_cpu"; then
     echo "Target Sparc Arch $sparc_cpu"
 fi
@@ -2191,6 +2199,10 @@ if test "$vnc_jpeg" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_VNC_JPEG=y" >> $config_host_mak
   echo "VNC_JPEG_CFLAGS=$vnc_jpeg_cflags" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
+if test "$vnc_thread" = "yes" ; then
+  echo "CONFIG_VNC_THREAD=y" >> $config_host_mak
+  echo "CONFIG_THREAD=y" >> $config_host_mak
+fi
 if test "$fnmatch" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_FNMATCH=y" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
@@ -2267,6 +2279,7 @@ if test "$xen" = "yes" ; then
 fi
 if test "$io_thread" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_IOTHREAD=y" >> $config_host_mak
+  echo "CONFIG_THREAD=y" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 if test "$linux_aio" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_LINUX_AIO=y" >> $config_host_mak
diff --git a/ui/vnc-jobs-async.c b/ui/vnc-jobs-async.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8b9fcba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/vnc-jobs-async.c
@@ -0,0 +1,357 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU VNC display driver
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2006 Anthony Liguori <anthony@codemonkey.ws>
+ * Copyright (C) 2006 Fabrice Bellard
+ * Copyright (C) 2009 Red Hat, Inc
+ * Copyright (C) 2010 Corentin Chary <corentin.chary@gmail.com>
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+ * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+ * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+ * to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+ * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+ * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+ * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
+ * THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+ * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+ * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+ * THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+
+
+#include "vnc.h"
+#include "vnc-jobs.h"
+
+/*
+ * Locking:
+ *
+ * There is three levels of locking:
+ * - jobs queue lock: for each operation on the queue (push, pop, isEmpty?)
+ * - VncDisplay global lock: mainly used for framebuffer updates to avoid
+ *                      screen corruption if the framebuffer is updated
+ *			while the worker is doing something.
+ * - VncState::output lock: used to make sure the output buffer is not corrupted
+ * 		   	 if two threads try to write on it at the same time
+ *
+ * While the VNC worker thread is working, the VncDisplay global lock is hold
+ * to avoid screen corruptions (this does not block vnc_refresh() because it
+ * uses trylock()) but the output lock is not hold because the thread work on
+ * its own output buffer.
+ * When the encoding job is done, the worker thread will hold the output lock
+ * and copy its output buffer in vs->output.
+*/
+
+struct VncJobQueue {
+    QemuCond cond;
+    QemuMutex mutex;
+    QemuThread thread;
+    Buffer buffer;
+    bool exit;
+    QTAILQ_HEAD(, VncJob) jobs;
+};
+
+typedef struct VncJobQueue VncJobQueue;
+
+/*
+ * We use a single global queue, but most of the functions are
+ * already reetrant, so we can easilly add more than one encoding thread
+ */
+static VncJobQueue *queue;
+
+static void vnc_lock_queue(VncJobQueue *queue)
+{
+    qemu_mutex_lock(&queue->mutex);
+}
+
+static void vnc_unlock_queue(VncJobQueue *queue)
+{
+    qemu_mutex_unlock(&queue->mutex);
+}
+
+VncJob *vnc_job_new(VncState *vs)
+{
+    VncJob *job = qemu_mallocz(sizeof(VncJob));
+
+    job->vs = vs;
+    vnc_lock_queue(queue);
+    QLIST_INIT(&job->rectangles);
+    vnc_unlock_queue(queue);
+    return job;
+}
+
+int vnc_job_add_rect(VncJob *job, int x, int y, int w, int h)
+{
+    VncRectEntry *entry = qemu_mallocz(sizeof(VncRectEntry));
+
+    entry->rect.x = x;
+    entry->rect.y = y;
+    entry->rect.w = w;
+    entry->rect.h = h;
+
+    vnc_lock_queue(queue);
+    QLIST_INSERT_HEAD(&job->rectangles, entry, next);
+    vnc_unlock_queue(queue);
+    return 1;
+}
+
+void vnc_job_push(VncJob *job)
+{
+    vnc_lock_queue(queue);
+    if (queue->exit || QLIST_EMPTY(&job->rectangles)) {
+        qemu_free(job);
+    } else {
+        QTAILQ_INSERT_TAIL(&queue->jobs, job, next);
+        qemu_cond_broadcast(&queue->cond);
+    }
+    vnc_unlock_queue(queue);
+}
+
+static bool vnc_has_job_locked(VncState *vs)
+{
+    VncJob *job;
+
+    QTAILQ_FOREACH(job, &queue->jobs, next) {
+        if (job->vs == vs || !vs) {
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
+bool vnc_has_job(VncState *vs)
+{
+    bool ret;
+
+    vnc_lock_queue(queue);
+    ret = vnc_has_job_locked(vs);
+    vnc_unlock_queue(queue);
+    return ret;
+}
+
+void vnc_jobs_clear(VncState *vs)
+{
+    VncJob *job, *tmp;
+
+    vnc_lock_queue(queue);
+    QTAILQ_FOREACH_SAFE(job, &queue->jobs, next, tmp) {
+        if (job->vs == vs || !vs) {
+            QTAILQ_REMOVE(&queue->jobs, job, next);
+        }
+    }
+    vnc_unlock_queue(queue);
+}
+
+void vnc_jobs_join(VncState *vs)
+{
+    vnc_lock_queue(queue);
+    while (vnc_has_job_locked(vs)) {
+        qemu_cond_wait(&queue->cond, &queue->mutex);
+    }
+    vnc_unlock_queue(queue);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Copy data for local use
+ * FIXME: isolate what we use in a specific structure
+ * to avoid invalid usage in vnc-encoding-*.c and avoid copying
+ * because what we want is only want is only swapping VncState::output
+ * with the queue buffer
+ */
+static void vnc_async_encoding_start(VncState *orig, VncState *local)
+{
+    local->vnc_encoding = orig->vnc_encoding;
+    local->features = orig->features;
+    local->ds = orig->ds;
+    local->vd = orig->vd;
+    local->write_pixels = orig->write_pixels;
+    local->clientds = orig->clientds;
+    local->tight_quality = orig->tight_quality;
+    local->tight_compression = orig->tight_compression;
+    local->tight_pixel24 = 0;
+    local->tight = orig->tight;
+    local->tight_tmp = orig->tight_tmp;
+    local->tight_zlib = orig->tight_zlib;
+    local->tight_gradient = orig->tight_gradient;
+    local->tight_jpeg = orig->tight_jpeg;
+    memcpy(local->tight_levels, orig->tight_levels, sizeof(orig->tight_levels));
+    memcpy(local->tight_stream, orig->tight_stream, sizeof(orig->tight_stream));
+    local->send_hextile_tile = orig->send_hextile_tile;
+    local->zlib = orig->zlib;
+    local->zlib_tmp = orig->zlib_tmp;
+    local->zlib_stream = orig->zlib_stream;
+    local->zlib_level = orig->zlib_level;
+    local->output =  queue->buffer;
+    local->csock = -1; /* Don't do any network work on this thread */
+
+    buffer_reset(&local->output);
+}
+
+static void vnc_async_encoding_end(VncState *orig, VncState *local)
+{
+    orig->tight_quality = local->tight_quality;
+    orig->tight_compression = local->tight_compression;
+    orig->tight = local->tight;
+    orig->tight_tmp = local->tight_tmp;
+    orig->tight_zlib = local->tight_zlib;
+    orig->tight_gradient = local->tight_gradient;
+    orig->tight_jpeg = local->tight_jpeg;
+    memcpy(orig->tight_levels, local->tight_levels, sizeof(local->tight_levels));
+    memcpy(orig->tight_stream, local->tight_stream, sizeof(local->tight_stream));
+    orig->zlib = local->zlib;
+    orig->zlib_tmp = local->zlib_tmp;
+    orig->zlib_stream = local->zlib_stream;
+    orig->zlib_level = local->zlib_level;
+}
+
+static int vnc_worker_thread_loop(VncJobQueue *queue)
+{
+    VncJob *job;
+    VncRectEntry *entry, *tmp;
+    VncState vs;
+    int n_rectangles;
+    int saved_offset;
+    bool flush;
+
+    vnc_lock_queue(queue);
+    while (QTAILQ_EMPTY(&queue->jobs) && !queue->exit) {
+        qemu_cond_wait(&queue->cond, &queue->mutex);
+    }
+    /* Here job can only be NULL if queue->exit is true */
+    job = QTAILQ_FIRST(&queue->jobs);
+    vnc_unlock_queue(queue);
+
+    if (queue->exit) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    vnc_lock_output(job->vs);
+    if (job->vs->csock == -1 || job->vs->abort == true) {
+        goto disconnected;
+    }
+    vnc_unlock_output(job->vs);
+
+    /* Make a local copy of vs and switch output buffers */
+    vnc_async_encoding_start(job->vs, &vs);
+
+    /* Start sending rectangles */
+    n_rectangles = 0;
+    vnc_write_u8(&vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_FRAMEBUFFER_UPDATE);
+    vnc_write_u8(&vs, 0);
+    saved_offset = vs.output.offset;
+    vnc_write_u16(&vs, 0);
+
+    vnc_lock_display(job->vs->vd);
+    QLIST_FOREACH_SAFE(entry, &job->rectangles, next, tmp) {
+        int n;
+
+        if (job->vs->csock == -1) {
+            vnc_unlock_display(job->vs->vd);
+            goto disconnected;
+        }
+
+        n = vnc_send_framebuffer_update(&vs, entry->rect.x, entry->rect.y,
+                                        entry->rect.w, entry->rect.h);
+
+        if (n >= 0) {
+            n_rectangles += n;
+        }
+        qemu_free(entry);
+    }
+    vnc_unlock_display(job->vs->vd);
+
+    /* Put n_rectangles at the beginning of the message */
+    vs.output.buffer[saved_offset] = (n_rectangles >> 8) & 0xFF;
+    vs.output.buffer[saved_offset + 1] = n_rectangles & 0xFF;
+
+    /* Switch back buffers */
+    vnc_lock_output(job->vs);
+    if (job->vs->csock == -1) {
+        goto disconnected;
+    }
+
+    vnc_write(job->vs, vs.output.buffer, vs.output.offset);
+
+disconnected:
+    /* Copy persistent encoding data */
+    vnc_async_encoding_end(job->vs, &vs);
+    flush = (job->vs->csock != -1 && job->vs->abort != true);
+    vnc_unlock_output(job->vs);
+
+    if (flush) {
+        vnc_flush(job->vs);
+    }
+
+    vnc_lock_queue(queue);
+    QTAILQ_REMOVE(&queue->jobs, job, next);
+    vnc_unlock_queue(queue);
+    qemu_cond_broadcast(&queue->cond);
+    qemu_free(job);
+    return 0;
+}
+
+static VncJobQueue *vnc_queue_init(void)
+{
+    VncJobQueue *queue = qemu_mallocz(sizeof(VncJobQueue));
+
+    qemu_cond_init(&queue->cond);
+    qemu_mutex_init(&queue->mutex);
+    QTAILQ_INIT(&queue->jobs);
+    return queue;
+}
+
+static void vnc_queue_clear(VncJobQueue *q)
+{
+    qemu_cond_destroy(&queue->cond);
+    qemu_mutex_destroy(&queue->mutex);
+    buffer_free(&queue->buffer);
+    qemu_free(q);
+    queue = NULL; /* Unset global queue */
+}
+
+static void *vnc_worker_thread(void *arg)
+{
+    VncJobQueue *queue = arg;
+
+    qemu_thread_self(&queue->thread);
+
+    while (!vnc_worker_thread_loop(queue)) ;
+    vnc_queue_clear(queue);
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+void vnc_start_worker_thread(void)
+{
+    VncJobQueue *q;
+
+    if (vnc_worker_thread_running())
+        return ;
+
+    q = vnc_queue_init();
+    qemu_thread_create(&q->thread, vnc_worker_thread, q);
+    queue = q; /* Set global queue */
+}
+
+bool vnc_worker_thread_running(void)
+{
+    return queue; /* Check global queue */
+}
+
+void vnc_stop_worker_thread(void)
+{
+    if (!vnc_worker_thread_running())
+        return ;
+
+    /* Remove all jobs and wake up the thread */
+    vnc_lock_queue(queue);
+    queue->exit = true;
+    vnc_unlock_queue(queue);
+    vnc_jobs_clear(NULL);
+    qemu_cond_broadcast(&queue->cond);
+}
diff --git a/ui/vnc-jobs-sync.c b/ui/vnc-jobs-sync.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..49b77af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/vnc-jobs-sync.c
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU VNC display driver
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2006 Anthony Liguori <anthony@codemonkey.ws>
+ * Copyright (C) 2006 Fabrice Bellard
+ * Copyright (C) 2009 Red Hat, Inc
+ * Copyright (C) 2010 Corentin Chary <corentin.chary@gmail.com>
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+ * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+ * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+ * to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+ * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+ * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+ * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
+ * THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+ * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+ * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+ * THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+
+#include "vnc.h"
+#include "vnc-jobs.h"
+
+void vnc_jobs_clear(VncState *vs)
+{
+}
+
+void vnc_jobs_join(VncState *vs)
+{
+}
+
+VncJob *vnc_job_new(VncState *vs)
+{
+    vs->job.vs = vs;
+    vs->job.rectangles = 0;
+
+    vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_FRAMEBUFFER_UPDATE);
+    vnc_write_u8(vs, 0);
+    vs->job.saved_offset = vs->output.offset;
+    vnc_write_u16(vs, 0);
+    return &vs->job;
+}
+
+void vnc_job_push(VncJob *job)
+{
+    VncState *vs = job->vs;
+
+    vs->output.buffer[job->saved_offset] = (job->rectangles >> 8) & 0xFF;
+    vs->output.buffer[job->saved_offset + 1] = job->rectangles & 0xFF;
+    vnc_flush(job->vs);
+}
+
+int vnc_job_add_rect(VncJob *job, int x, int y, int w, int h)
+{
+    int n;
+
+    n = vnc_send_framebuffer_update(job->vs, x, y, w, h);
+    if (n >= 0)
+        job->rectangles += n;
+    return n;
+}
+
+bool vnc_has_job(VncState *vs)
+{
+    return false;
+}
diff --git a/ui/vnc-jobs.h b/ui/vnc-jobs.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8dab81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/vnc-jobs.h
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+/*
+ * QEMU VNC display driver
+ *
+ * From libvncserver/rfb/rfbproto.h
+ * Copyright (C) 2005 Rohit Kumar, Johannes E. Schindelin
+ * Copyright (C) 2000-2002 Constantin Kaplinsky.  All Rights Reserved.
+ * Copyright (C) 2000 Tridia Corporation.  All Rights Reserved.
+ * Copyright (C) 1999 AT&T Laboratories Cambridge.  All Rights Reserved.
+ *
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+ * of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+ * in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+ * to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+ * copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+ * furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+ * all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+ * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
+ * THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+ * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+ * OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+ * THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+
+#ifndef VNC_JOBS_H
+#define VNC_JOBS_H
+
+/* Jobs */
+VncJob *vnc_job_new(VncState *vs);
+int vnc_job_add_rect(VncJob *job, int x, int y, int w, int h);
+void vnc_job_push(VncJob *job);
+bool vnc_has_job(VncState *vs);
+void vnc_jobs_clear(VncState *vs);
+void vnc_jobs_join(VncState *vs);
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+
+void vnc_start_worker_thread(void);
+bool vnc_worker_thread_running(void);
+void vnc_stop_worker_thread(void);
+
+#endif /* CONFIG_VNC_THREAD */
+
+/* Locks */
+static inline int vnc_trylock_display(VncDisplay *vd)
+{
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+    return qemu_mutex_trylock(&vd->mutex);
+#else
+    return 0;
+#endif
+}
+
+static inline void vnc_lock_display(VncDisplay *vd)
+{
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+    qemu_mutex_lock(&vd->mutex);
+#endif
+}
+
+static inline void vnc_unlock_display(VncDisplay *vd)
+{
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+    qemu_mutex_unlock(&vd->mutex);
+#endif
+}
+
+static inline void vnc_lock_output(VncState *vs)
+{
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+    qemu_mutex_lock(&vs->output_mutex);
+#endif
+}
+
+static inline void vnc_unlock_output(VncState *vs)
+{
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+    qemu_mutex_unlock(&vs->output_mutex);
+#endif
+}
+
+#endif /* VNC_JOBS_H */
diff --git a/ui/vnc.c b/ui/vnc.c
index ccd7aad..6c8a384 100644
--- a/ui/vnc.c
+++ b/ui/vnc.c
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
  */
 
 #include "vnc.h"
+#include "vnc-jobs.h"
 #include "sysemu.h"
 #include "qemu_socket.h"
 #include "qemu-timer.h"
@@ -45,7 +46,6 @@
     } \
 }
 
-
 static VncDisplay *vnc_display; /* needed for info vnc */
 static DisplayChangeListener *dcl;
 
@@ -363,6 +363,7 @@ static inline uint32_t vnc_has_feature(VncState *vs, int feature) {
 */
 
 static int vnc_update_client(VncState *vs, int has_dirty);
+static int vnc_update_client_sync(VncState *vs, int has_dirty);
 static void vnc_disconnect_start(VncState *vs);
 static void vnc_disconnect_finish(VncState *vs);
 static void vnc_init_timer(VncDisplay *vd);
@@ -506,19 +507,48 @@ static void vnc_desktop_resize(VncState *vs)
     }
     vs->client_width = ds_get_width(ds);
     vs->client_height = ds_get_height(ds);
+    vnc_lock_output(vs);
     vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_FRAMEBUFFER_UPDATE);
     vnc_write_u8(vs, 0);
     vnc_write_u16(vs, 1); /* number of rects */
     vnc_framebuffer_update(vs, 0, 0, vs->client_width, vs->client_height,
                            VNC_ENCODING_DESKTOPRESIZE);
+    vnc_unlock_output(vs);
     vnc_flush(vs);
 }
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+static void vnc_abort_display_jobs(VncDisplay *vd)
+{
+    VncState *vs;
+
+    QTAILQ_FOREACH(vs, &vd->clients, next) {
+        vnc_lock_output(vs);
+        vs->abort = true;
+        vnc_unlock_output(vs);
+    }
+    QTAILQ_FOREACH(vs, &vd->clients, next) {
+        vnc_jobs_join(vs);
+    }
+    QTAILQ_FOREACH(vs, &vd->clients, next) {
+        vnc_lock_output(vs);
+        vs->abort = false;
+        vnc_unlock_output(vs);
+    }
+}
+#else
+static void vnc_abort_display_jobs(VncDisplay *vd)
+{
+}
+#endif
+
 static void vnc_dpy_resize(DisplayState *ds)
 {
     VncDisplay *vd = ds->opaque;
     VncState *vs;
 
+    vnc_abort_display_jobs(vd);
+
     /* server surface */
     if (!vd->server)
         vd->server = qemu_mallocz(sizeof(*vd->server));
@@ -646,7 +676,7 @@ int vnc_raw_send_framebuffer_update(VncState *vs, int x, int y, int w, int h)
     return 1;
 }
 
-static int send_framebuffer_update(VncState *vs, int x, int y, int w, int h)
+int vnc_send_framebuffer_update(VncState *vs, int x, int y, int w, int h)
 {
     int n = 0;
 
@@ -672,12 +702,14 @@ static int send_framebuffer_update(VncState *vs, int x, int y, int w, int h)
 static void vnc_copy(VncState *vs, int src_x, int src_y, int dst_x, int dst_y, int w, int h)
 {
     /* send bitblit op to the vnc client */
+    vnc_lock_output(vs);
     vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_FRAMEBUFFER_UPDATE);
     vnc_write_u8(vs, 0);
     vnc_write_u16(vs, 1); /* number of rects */
     vnc_framebuffer_update(vs, dst_x, dst_y, w, h, VNC_ENCODING_COPYRECT);
     vnc_write_u16(vs, src_x);
     vnc_write_u16(vs, src_y);
+    vnc_unlock_output(vs);
     vnc_flush(vs);
 }
 
@@ -694,7 +726,7 @@ static void vnc_dpy_copy(DisplayState *ds, int src_x, int src_y, int dst_x, int
     QTAILQ_FOREACH_SAFE(vs, &vd->clients, next, vn) {
         if (vnc_has_feature(vs, VNC_FEATURE_COPYRECT)) {
             vs->force_update = 1;
-            vnc_update_client(vs, 1);
+            vnc_update_client_sync(vs, 1);
             /* vs might be free()ed here */
         }
     }
@@ -814,15 +846,29 @@ static int find_and_clear_dirty_height(struct VncState *vs,
     return h;
 }
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+static int vnc_update_client_sync(VncState *vs, int has_dirty)
+{
+    int ret = vnc_update_client(vs, has_dirty);
+    vnc_jobs_join(vs);
+    return ret;
+}
+#else
+static int vnc_update_client_sync(VncState *vs, int has_dirty)
+{
+    return vnc_update_client(vs, has_dirty);
+}
+#endif
+
 static int vnc_update_client(VncState *vs, int has_dirty)
 {
     if (vs->need_update && vs->csock != -1) {
         VncDisplay *vd = vs->vd;
+        VncJob *job;
         int y;
-        int n_rectangles;
-        int saved_offset;
         int width, height;
-        int n;
+        int n = 0;
+
 
         if (vs->output.offset && !vs->audio_cap && !vs->force_update)
             /* kernel send buffers are full -> drop frames to throttle */
@@ -837,11 +883,7 @@ static int vnc_update_client(VncState *vs, int has_dirty)
          * happening in parallel don't disturb us, the next pass will
          * send them to the client.
          */
-        n_rectangles = 0;
-        vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_FRAMEBUFFER_UPDATE);
-        vnc_write_u8(vs, 0);
-        saved_offset = vs->output.offset;
-        vnc_write_u16(vs, 0);
+        job = vnc_job_new(vs);
 
         width = MIN(vd->server->width, vs->client_width);
         height = MIN(vd->server->height, vs->client_height);
@@ -858,25 +900,23 @@ static int vnc_update_client(VncState *vs, int has_dirty)
                 } else {
                     if (last_x != -1) {
                         int h = find_and_clear_dirty_height(vs, y, last_x, x);
-                        n = send_framebuffer_update(vs, last_x * 16, y,
-                                                    (x - last_x) * 16, h);
-                        n_rectangles += n;
+
+                        n += vnc_job_add_rect(job, last_x * 16, y,
+                                              (x - last_x) * 16, h);
                     }
                     last_x = -1;
                 }
             }
             if (last_x != -1) {
                 int h = find_and_clear_dirty_height(vs, y, last_x, x);
-                n = send_framebuffer_update(vs, last_x * 16, y,
-                                            (x - last_x) * 16, h);
-                n_rectangles += n;
+                n += vnc_job_add_rect(job, last_x * 16, y,
+                                      (x - last_x) * 16, h);
             }
         }
-        vs->output.buffer[saved_offset] = (n_rectangles >> 8) & 0xFF;
-        vs->output.buffer[saved_offset + 1] = n_rectangles & 0xFF;
-        vnc_flush(vs);
+
+        vnc_job_push(job);
         vs->force_update = 0;
-        return n_rectangles;
+        return n;
     }
 
     if (vs->csock == -1)
@@ -892,16 +932,20 @@ static void audio_capture_notify(void *opaque, audcnotification_e cmd)
 
     switch (cmd) {
     case AUD_CNOTIFY_DISABLE:
+        vnc_lock_output(vs);
         vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_QEMU);
         vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_QEMU_AUDIO);
         vnc_write_u16(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_QEMU_AUDIO_END);
+        vnc_unlock_output(vs);
         vnc_flush(vs);
         break;
 
     case AUD_CNOTIFY_ENABLE:
+        vnc_lock_output(vs);
         vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_QEMU);
         vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_QEMU_AUDIO);
         vnc_write_u16(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_QEMU_AUDIO_BEGIN);
+        vnc_unlock_output(vs);
         vnc_flush(vs);
         break;
     }
@@ -915,11 +959,13 @@ static void audio_capture(void *opaque, void *buf, int size)
 {
     VncState *vs = opaque;
 
+    vnc_lock_output(vs);
     vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_QEMU);
     vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_QEMU_AUDIO);
     vnc_write_u16(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_QEMU_AUDIO_DATA);
     vnc_write_u32(vs, size);
     vnc_write(vs, buf, size);
+    vnc_unlock_output(vs);
     vnc_flush(vs);
 }
 
@@ -961,6 +1007,9 @@ static void vnc_disconnect_start(VncState *vs)
 
 static void vnc_disconnect_finish(VncState *vs)
 {
+    vnc_jobs_join(vs); /* Wait encoding jobs */
+
+    vnc_lock_output(vs);
     vnc_qmp_event(vs, QEVENT_VNC_DISCONNECTED);
 
     buffer_free(&vs->input);
@@ -989,6 +1038,11 @@ static void vnc_disconnect_finish(VncState *vs)
     vnc_remove_timer(vs->vd);
     if (vs->vd->lock_key_sync)
         qemu_remove_led_event_handler(vs->led);
+    vnc_unlock_output(vs);
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+    qemu_mutex_destroy(&vs->output_mutex);
+#endif
     qemu_free(vs);
 }
 
@@ -1108,7 +1162,7 @@ static long vnc_client_write_plain(VncState *vs)
  * the client socket. Will delegate actual work according to whether
  * SASL SSF layers are enabled (thus requiring encryption calls)
  */
-void vnc_client_write(void *opaque)
+static void vnc_client_write_locked(void *opaque)
 {
     VncState *vs = opaque;
 
@@ -1122,6 +1176,19 @@ void vnc_client_write(void *opaque)
         vnc_client_write_plain(vs);
 }
 
+void vnc_client_write(void *opaque)
+{
+    VncState *vs = opaque;
+
+    vnc_lock_output(vs);
+    if (vs->output.offset) {
+        vnc_client_write_locked(opaque);
+    } else {
+        qemu_set_fd_handler2(vs->csock, NULL, vnc_client_read, NULL, vs);
+    }
+    vnc_unlock_output(vs);
+}
+
 void vnc_read_when(VncState *vs, VncReadEvent *func, size_t expecting)
 {
     vs->read_handler = func;
@@ -1273,8 +1340,11 @@ void vnc_write_u8(VncState *vs, uint8_t value)
 
 void vnc_flush(VncState *vs)
 {
-    if (vs->csock != -1 && vs->output.offset)
-        vnc_client_write(vs);
+    vnc_lock_output(vs);
+    if (vs->csock != -1 && vs->output.offset) {
+        vnc_client_write_locked(vs);
+    }
+    vnc_unlock_output(vs);
 }
 
 uint8_t read_u8(uint8_t *data, size_t offset)
@@ -1309,12 +1379,14 @@ static void check_pointer_type_change(Notifier *notifier)
     int absolute = kbd_mouse_is_absolute();
 
     if (vnc_has_feature(vs, VNC_FEATURE_POINTER_TYPE_CHANGE) && vs->absolute != absolute) {
+        vnc_lock_output(vs);
         vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_FRAMEBUFFER_UPDATE);
         vnc_write_u8(vs, 0);
         vnc_write_u16(vs, 1);
         vnc_framebuffer_update(vs, absolute, 0,
                                ds_get_width(vs->ds), ds_get_height(vs->ds),
                                VNC_ENCODING_POINTER_TYPE_CHANGE);
+        vnc_unlock_output(vs);
         vnc_flush(vs);
     }
     vs->absolute = absolute;
@@ -1618,21 +1690,25 @@ static void framebuffer_update_request(VncState *vs, int incremental,
 
 static void send_ext_key_event_ack(VncState *vs)
 {
+    vnc_lock_output(vs);
     vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_FRAMEBUFFER_UPDATE);
     vnc_write_u8(vs, 0);
     vnc_write_u16(vs, 1);
     vnc_framebuffer_update(vs, 0, 0, ds_get_width(vs->ds), ds_get_height(vs->ds),
                            VNC_ENCODING_EXT_KEY_EVENT);
+    vnc_unlock_output(vs);
     vnc_flush(vs);
 }
 
 static void send_ext_audio_ack(VncState *vs)
 {
+    vnc_lock_output(vs);
     vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_FRAMEBUFFER_UPDATE);
     vnc_write_u8(vs, 0);
     vnc_write_u16(vs, 1);
     vnc_framebuffer_update(vs, 0, 0, ds_get_width(vs->ds), ds_get_height(vs->ds),
                            VNC_ENCODING_AUDIO);
+    vnc_unlock_output(vs);
     vnc_flush(vs);
 }
 
@@ -1791,12 +1867,14 @@ static void vnc_colordepth(VncState *vs)
 {
     if (vnc_has_feature(vs, VNC_FEATURE_WMVI)) {
         /* Sending a WMVi message to notify the client*/
+        vnc_lock_output(vs);
         vnc_write_u8(vs, VNC_MSG_SERVER_FRAMEBUFFER_UPDATE);
         vnc_write_u8(vs, 0);
         vnc_write_u16(vs, 1); /* number of rects */
         vnc_framebuffer_update(vs, 0, 0, ds_get_width(vs->ds), 
                                ds_get_height(vs->ds), VNC_ENCODING_WMVi);
         pixel_format_message(vs);
+        vnc_unlock_output(vs);
         vnc_flush(vs);
     } else {
         set_pixel_conversion(vs);
@@ -2224,12 +2302,21 @@ static void vnc_refresh(void *opaque)
 
     vga_hw_update();
 
+    if (vnc_trylock_display(vd)) {
+        vd->timer_interval = VNC_REFRESH_INTERVAL_BASE;
+        qemu_mod_timer(vd->timer, qemu_get_clock(rt_clock) +
+                       vd->timer_interval);
+        return;
+    }
+
     has_dirty = vnc_refresh_server_surface(vd);
+    vnc_unlock_display(vd);
 
     QTAILQ_FOREACH_SAFE(vs, &vd->clients, next, vn) {
         rects += vnc_update_client(vs, has_dirty);
         /* vs might be free()ed here */
     }
+
     /* vd->timer could be NULL now if the last client disconnected,
      * in this case don't update the timer */
     if (vd->timer == NULL)
@@ -2288,6 +2375,10 @@ static void vnc_connect(VncDisplay *vd, int csock)
     vs->as.fmt = AUD_FMT_S16;
     vs->as.endianness = 0;
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+    qemu_mutex_init(&vs->output_mutex);
+#endif
+
     QTAILQ_INSERT_HEAD(&vd->clients, vs, next);
 
     vga_hw_update();
@@ -2345,6 +2436,11 @@ void vnc_display_init(DisplayState *ds)
     if (!vs->kbd_layout)
         exit(1);
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+    qemu_mutex_init(&vs->mutex);
+    vnc_start_worker_thread();
+#endif
+
     dcl->dpy_copy = vnc_dpy_copy;
     dcl->dpy_update = vnc_dpy_update;
     dcl->dpy_resize = vnc_dpy_resize;
diff --git a/ui/vnc.h b/ui/vnc.h
index ec90cd3..dead3c4 100644
--- a/ui/vnc.h
+++ b/ui/vnc.h
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@
 
 #include "qemu-common.h"
 #include "qemu-queue.h"
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+#include "qemu-thread.h"
+#endif
 #include "console.h"
 #include "monitor.h"
 #include "audio/audio.h"
@@ -59,6 +62,9 @@ typedef struct Buffer
 } Buffer;
 
 typedef struct VncState VncState;
+typedef struct VncJob VncJob;
+typedef struct VncRect VncRect;
+typedef struct VncRectEntry VncRectEntry;
 
 typedef int VncReadEvent(VncState *vs, uint8_t *data, size_t len);
 
@@ -101,6 +107,9 @@ struct VncDisplay
     DisplayState *ds;
     kbd_layout_t *kbd_layout;
     int lock_key_sync;
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+    QemuMutex mutex;
+#endif
 
     QEMUCursor *cursor;
     int cursor_msize;
@@ -122,6 +131,38 @@ struct VncDisplay
 #endif
 };
 
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+struct VncRect
+{
+    int x;
+    int y;
+    int w;
+    int h;
+};
+
+struct VncRectEntry
+{
+    struct VncRect rect;
+    QLIST_ENTRY(VncRectEntry) next;
+};
+
+struct VncJob
+{
+    VncState *vs;
+
+    QLIST_HEAD(, VncRectEntry) rectangles;
+    QTAILQ_ENTRY(VncJob) next;
+};
+#else
+struct VncJob
+{
+    VncState *vs;
+    int rectangles;
+    size_t saved_offset;
+};
+#endif
+
 struct VncState
 {
     int csock;
@@ -170,6 +211,12 @@ struct VncState
     QEMUPutLEDEntry *led;
 
     /* Encoding specific */
+    bool abort;
+#ifndef CONFIG_VNC_THREAD
+    VncJob job;
+#else
+    QemuMutex output_mutex;
+#endif
 
     /* Tight */
     uint8_t tight_quality;
@@ -412,6 +459,8 @@ void vnc_framebuffer_update(VncState *vs, int x, int y, int w, int h,
 void vnc_convert_pixel(VncState *vs, uint8_t *buf, uint32_t v);
 
 /* Encodings */
+int vnc_send_framebuffer_update(VncState *vs, int x, int y, int w, int h);
+
 int vnc_raw_send_framebuffer_update(VncState *vs, int x, int y, int w, int h);
 
 int vnc_hextile_send_framebuffer_update(VncState *vs, int x,
