diff --git a/repos/base/src/core/include/constrained_core_ram.h b/repos/base/src/core/include/constrained_core_ram.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0599586f02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/repos/base/src/core/include/constrained_core_ram.h
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+/*
+ * \brief  Quota-bounds-checking implementation of the 'Ram_allocator'
+ *         interface specifically for core
+ * \author Norman Feske
+ * \date   2017-05-02
+ */
+
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2017 Genode Labs GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Genode OS framework, which is distributed
+ * under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License version 3.
+ */
+
+#ifndef _CORE__INCLUDE__CORE_CONSTRAINED_CORE_RAM_H_
+#define _CORE__INCLUDE__CORE_CONSTRAINED_CORE_RAM_H_
+
+#include <base/allocator.h>
+
+namespace Genode { class Constrained_core_ram; }
+
+class Genode::Constrained_core_ram : public Allocator
+{
+	private:
+
+		Ram_quota_guard &_ram_guard;
+		Cap_quota_guard &_cap_guard;
+		Range_allocator &_core_mem;
+
+		uint64_t core_mem_allocated { 0 };
+
+	public:
+
+		Constrained_core_ram(Ram_quota_guard &ram_guard,
+		                     Cap_quota_guard &cap_guard,
+		                     Range_allocator &core_mem)
+		:
+			_ram_guard(ram_guard), _cap_guard(cap_guard), _core_mem(core_mem)
+		{ }
+
+		~Constrained_core_ram()
+		{
+			if (!core_mem_allocated)
+				return;
+
+			error(this, " memory leaking of size ", core_mem_allocated,
+			      " in core !");
+		}
+
+		bool alloc(size_t const size, void **ptr) override
+		{
+			size_t const page_aligned_size = align_addr(size, 12);
+
+			Ram_quota_guard::Reservation ram (_ram_guard,
+			                                  Ram_quota{page_aligned_size});
+			/* on some kernels we require a cap, on some not XXX */
+			Cap_quota_guard::Reservation caps(_cap_guard, Cap_quota{1});
+
+			if (!_core_mem.alloc(page_aligned_size, ptr))
+				return false;
+
+			ram.acknowledge();
+			caps.acknowledge();
+
+			core_mem_allocated += page_aligned_size;
+
+			return true;
+		}
+
+		void free(void *ptr, size_t const size) override
+		{
+			size_t const page_aligned_size = align_addr(size, 12);
+
+			_core_mem.free(ptr, page_aligned_size);
+
+			_ram_guard.replenish(Ram_quota{page_aligned_size});
+			/* on some kernels we require a cap, on some not XXX */
+			_cap_guard.replenish(Cap_quota{1});
+
+			core_mem_allocated -= page_aligned_size;
+		}
+
+		size_t consumed() const override { return core_mem_allocated; }
+		size_t overhead(size_t size) const override { return 0; }
+		bool   need_size_for_free() const override { return true; }
+};
+#endif /* _CORE__INCLUDE__CORE_CONSTRAINED_CORE_RAM_H_ */
diff --git a/repos/base/src/core/include/core_env.h b/repos/base/src/core/include/core_env.h
index 5e8776c973..40766d35f4 100644
--- a/repos/base/src/core/include/core_env.h
+++ b/repos/base/src/core/include/core_env.h
@@ -70,7 +70,8 @@ class Genode::Core_env : public Env_deprecated
 			            Ram_dataspace_factory::Virt_range { platform()->vm_start(), platform()->vm_size() },
 			            _region_map,
 			            *((Pager_entrypoint *)nullptr),
-			            "" /* args to native PD */)
+			            "" /* args to native PD */,
+			            *platform_specific()->core_mem_alloc())
 		{
 			_pd_session.init_cap_and_ram_accounts();
 		}
diff --git a/repos/base/src/core/include/pd_root.h b/repos/base/src/core/include/pd_root.h
index 5fcd1e5e42..75c661ce73 100644
--- a/repos/base/src/core/include/pd_root.h
+++ b/repos/base/src/core/include/pd_root.h
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ class Genode::Pd_root : public Genode::Root_component<Genode::Pd_session_compone
 		Pager_entrypoint &_pager_ep;
 		Range_allocator  &_phys_alloc;
 		Region_map       &_local_rm;
+		Range_allocator  &_core_mem;
 
 		static Ram_dataspace_factory::Phys_range _phys_range_from_args(char const *args)
 		{
@@ -67,7 +68,8 @@ class Genode::Pd_root : public Genode::Root_component<Genode::Pd_session_compone
 				                     _phys_alloc,
 				                     _phys_range_from_args(args),
 				                     _virt_range_from_args(args),
-				                     _local_rm, _pager_ep, args);
+				                     _local_rm, _pager_ep, args,
+				                     _core_mem);
 		}
 
 		void _upgrade_session(Pd_session_component *pd, const char *args)
@@ -85,10 +87,12 @@ class Genode::Pd_root : public Genode::Root_component<Genode::Pd_session_compone
 		        Pager_entrypoint &pager_ep,
 		        Range_allocator  &phys_alloc,
 		        Region_map       &local_rm,
-		        Allocator        &md_alloc)
+		        Allocator        &md_alloc,
+		        Range_allocator  &core_mem)
 		:
 			Root_component<Pd_session_component>(&ep, &md_alloc),
-			_ep(ep), _pager_ep(pager_ep), _phys_alloc(phys_alloc), _local_rm(local_rm)
+			_ep(ep), _pager_ep(pager_ep), _phys_alloc(phys_alloc),
+			_local_rm(local_rm), _core_mem(core_mem)
 		{ }
 };
 
diff --git a/repos/base/src/core/include/pd_session_component.h b/repos/base/src/core/include/pd_session_component.h
index 48dea8c504..28c02b11f3 100644
--- a/repos/base/src/core/include/pd_session_component.h
+++ b/repos/base/src/core/include/pd_session_component.h
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include <base/internal/stack_area.h>
 
 /* core includes */
+#include <constrained_core_ram.h>
 #include <platform_pd.h>
 #include <signal_broker.h>
 #include <rpc_cap_factory.h>
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ class Genode::Pd_session_component : public Session_object<Pd_session>
 
 		Rpc_entrypoint            &_ep;
 		Constrained_ram_allocator  _constrained_md_ram_alloc;
+		Constrained_core_ram       _constrained_core_ram_alloc;
 		Sliced_heap                _sliced_heap;
 		Capability<Parent>         _parent;
 		Signal_broker              _signal_broker;
@@ -122,14 +124,17 @@ class Genode::Pd_session_component : public Session_object<Pd_session>
 		                     Virt_range        virt_range,
 		                     Region_map       &local_rm,
 		                     Pager_entrypoint &pager_ep,
-		                     char const       *args)
+		                     char const       *args,
+		                     Range_allocator  &core_mem)
 		:
 			Session_object(ep, resources, label, diag),
 			_ep(ep),
 			_constrained_md_ram_alloc(*this, *this, *this),
+			_constrained_core_ram_alloc(*this, *this, core_mem),
 			_sliced_heap(_constrained_md_ram_alloc, local_rm),
 			_signal_broker(_sliced_heap, ep, ep),
-			_ram_ds_factory(ep, phys_alloc, phys_range, local_rm, _sliced_heap),
+			_ram_ds_factory(ep, phys_alloc, phys_range, local_rm,
+			                _constrained_core_ram_alloc),
 			_rpc_cap_factory(_sliced_heap),
 			_native_pd(*this, args),
 			_address_space(ep, _sliced_heap, pager_ep,
diff --git a/repos/base/src/core/include/ram_dataspace_factory.h b/repos/base/src/core/include/ram_dataspace_factory.h
index b706e55919..cc93227a1a 100644
--- a/repos/base/src/core/include/ram_dataspace_factory.h
+++ b/repos/base/src/core/include/ram_dataspace_factory.h
@@ -37,12 +37,7 @@ class Genode::Ram_dataspace_factory : public Ram_allocator,
 
 		struct Virt_range { addr_t start, size; };
 
-		/*
-		 * Dimension '_ds_slab' such that slab blocks (including the
-		 * meta-data overhead of the sliced-heap blocks) are page sized.
-		 */
-		static constexpr size_t SLAB_BLOCK_SIZE =
-			get_page_size() - Sliced_heap::meta_data_size();
+		static constexpr size_t SLAB_BLOCK_SIZE = 4096;
 
 	private:
 
@@ -92,10 +87,10 @@ class Genode::Ram_dataspace_factory : public Ram_allocator,
 		                      Range_allocator &phys_alloc,
 		                      Phys_range       phys_range,
 		                      Region_map      &local_rm,
-		                      Sliced_heap     &sliced_heap)
+		                      Allocator       &allocator)
 		:
 			_ep(ep), _phys_alloc(phys_alloc), _phys_range(phys_range),
-			_ds_slab(sliced_heap, _initial_sb)
+			_ds_slab(allocator, _initial_sb)
 		{ }
 
 		~Ram_dataspace_factory()
diff --git a/repos/base/src/core/main.cc b/repos/base/src/core/main.cc
index 07c187b1ec..3c340d6d98 100644
--- a/repos/base/src/core/main.cc
+++ b/repos/base/src/core/main.cc
@@ -256,7 +256,9 @@ int main()
 	static Rm_root     rm_root     (&ep, &sliced_heap, pager_ep);
 	static Cpu_root    cpu_root    (&ep, &ep, &pager_ep, &sliced_heap,
 	                                Trace::sources());
-	static Pd_root     pd_root     (ep, pager_ep, *platform()->ram_alloc(), local_rm, sliced_heap);
+	static Pd_root     pd_root     (ep, pager_ep, *platform()->ram_alloc(),
+	                                local_rm, sliced_heap,
+	                                *platform_specific()->core_mem_alloc());
 	static Log_root    log_root    (&ep, &sliced_heap);
 	static Io_mem_root io_mem_root (&ep, &ep, platform()->io_mem_alloc(),
 	                                platform()->ram_alloc(), &sliced_heap);