diff --git a/scripts/xe-backup-metadata b/scripts/xe-backup-metadata
index 4aa09b7f74c..c67f04a0b4c 100755
--- a/scripts/xe-backup-metadata
+++ b/scripts/xe-backup-metadata
@@ -48,6 +48,29 @@ function usage {
     exit 1
 }
 
+function uuid5 {
+  # could use a modern uuidgen but it's not on XS 8
+  # should work with Python 2 and 3
+  python -c "import uuid; print (uuid.uuid5(uuid.UUID('$1'), '$2'))"
+}
+
+function validate_vdi_uuid {
+  # we check that vdi has the expected UUID which depends on the UUID of
+  # the SR. This is a deterministic hash of the SR UUID and the
+  # namespace UUID $NS. This UUID must match what Xapi's Uuidx module is using.
+  local NS="e93e0639-2bdb-4a59-8b46-352b3f408c19"
+  local sr="$1"
+  local vdi="$2"
+  local uuid
+
+  uuid=$(uuid5 "$NS" "$sr")
+  if [ "$vdi" != "$uuid" ]; then
+    return 1
+  else
+    return 0
+  fi
+}
+
 function test_sr {
   sr_uuid_found=$(${XE} sr-list uuid="$1" --minimal)
   if [ "${sr_uuid_found}" != "$1" ]; then
@@ -93,7 +116,7 @@ if [  -z "${sr_uuid}" ]; then
 fi
 test_sr "${sr_uuid}"
 
-sr_name=$(${XE} sr-param-get uuid=${sr_uuid} param-name=name-label)
+sr_name=$(${XE} sr-param-get uuid="${sr_uuid}" param-name=name-label)
 # see if a backup VDI already exists on the selected SR
 vdi_uuid=$(${XE} vdi-list other-config:ctxs-pool-backup=true sr-uuid=${sr_uuid} params=uuid --minimal)
 
@@ -134,11 +157,24 @@ function cleanup {
    fi
 }
 
-echo Using SR: ${sr_name}
+# if we can't validate the UUID of the VDI, prompt the user
+if [ -n "${vdi_uuid}" ]; then
+    if ! validate_vdi_uuid "${sr_uuid}" "${vdi_uuid}"; then
+        echo "Backup VDI $vdi_uuid was most likley create by an earlier"
+        echo "version of this code. Make sure this is a VDI that you"
+        echo "created as we can't validate it without mounting it."
+        read -p "Continue? [Y/N]" -n 1 -r; echo
+        if [[ ! $REPLY =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then exit 1; fi
+    fi
+fi
+
+echo "Using SR: ${sr_name}"
 if [ -z "${vdi_uuid}" ]; then
   if [ "${create_vdi}" -gt 0 ]; then
     echo -n "Creating new backup VDI: "
-    vdi_uuid=$(${XE} vdi-create virtual-size=500MiB sr-uuid=${sr_uuid} type=user name-label="Pool Metadata Backup")
+    label="Pool Metadata Backup"
+    # the label must match what xapi_vdi.ml is using for backup VDIs
+    vdi_uuid=$(${XE} vdi-create virtual-size=500MiB sr-uuid="${sr_uuid}" type=user name-label="${label}")
     init_fs=1
     if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
        echo failed
@@ -225,7 +261,7 @@ if [ ${leave_mounted} -eq 0 ]; then
   usage=`cd ${mnt} && df . | sed -n "2p" | awk '{ print $5 }' | tr -d '%'`
   echo "Checking backup VDI space usage: $usage%"
   if [ $usage -gt $usage_alert ] && [ ${force_backup} -eq 0 ]; then
-    echo "Running out of space, you can use "-d" option to attach VDI and free more space, exit now."
+    echo "Running out of space, you can use '-d' option to attach VDI and free more space, exit now."
     cleanup
     exit 1
   fi
diff --git a/scripts/xe-restore-metadata b/scripts/xe-restore-metadata
index 81beb51b704..6c2018ccb54 100755
--- a/scripts/xe-restore-metadata
+++ b/scripts/xe-restore-metadata
@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ function test_sr {
   fi
 }
 
+# name space to hash SRs for a deterministic VDI UUID
+NS="e93e0639-2bdb-4a59-8b46-352b3f408c19"
+function uuid5 {
+  # could use a modern uuidgen but it's not on XS 8
+  python -c "import uuid; print (uuid.uuid5(uuid.UUID('$1'), '$2'))"
+}
+
 dry_run=0
 sr_uuid=
 yes=0
@@ -100,9 +107,16 @@ test_sr "${sr_uuid}"
 
 sr_name=$(${XE} sr-param-get uuid=${sr_uuid} param-name=name-label)
 
+# probe first for a VDI with known UUID derived from the SR to avoid
+# scanning for a VDI
+backup_vdi=$(uuid5 "${NS}" "${sr_uuid}")
+if [ -z "${vdis}" ]; then
+  vdis=$(${XE} vdi-list uuid="${backup_vdi}" sr-uuid="${sr_uuid}" read-only=false --minimal)
+fi
+
 # get a list of all VDIs if an override has not been provided on the cmd line
 if [ -z "${vdis}" ]; then
-  vdis=$(${XE} vdi-list params=uuid sr-uuid=${sr_uuid} read-only=false --minimal)
+  vdis=$(${XE} vdi-list params=uuid sr-uuid="${sr_uuid}" read-only=false --minimal)
 fi
 
 mnt=
@@ -149,6 +163,14 @@ fi
 trap cleanup SIGINT ERR
 
 for vdi_uuid in ${vdis}; do
+   if [ "${vdi_uuid}" != "${backup_vdi}" ]; then
+      echo "Probing VDI ${vdi_uuid}."
+      echo "This VDI was created with a prior version of XenServer."
+      echo "Its validity can't be checked without mounting it first."
+      read -p "Continue? [Y/N]" -n 1 -r; echo
+      if [[ ! $REPLY =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then exit 1; fi
+   fi
+
    ${debug} echo -n "Creating VBD: " >&2
    vbd_uuid=$(${XE} vbd-create vm-uuid=${CONTROL_DOMAIN_UUID} vdi-uuid=${vdi_uuid} device=autodetect 2>/dev/null)
 
@@ -253,7 +275,7 @@ all)
     ;;
 esac
 
-if [ ! -d ${full_dir} ]; then
+if [ ! -d "${full_dir}" ]; then
     echo No VM metadata exports were found for the selected SR >&2
     cleanup
     exit 1
@@ -266,9 +288,9 @@ ${debug} echo "" >&2
 ${debug} echo Latest VM metadata found is: >&2
 ${debug} ls >&2
 
-if [ $yes -eq 0 ]; then
+if [ "$yes" -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "Do you wish to reimport all VM metadata?" 
-   echo "Please type in "yes" and <enter> to continue." 
+   echo "Please type in 'yes' and <enter> to continue."
    read response
    if [ "$response" != "yes" ]; then
      echo Aborting metadata restore.
@@ -297,8 +319,8 @@ else
 fi
 shopt -s nullglob
 for meta in *.vmmeta; do
-   echo xe vm-import filename=${meta} sr-uuid=${sr_uuid} --metadata --preserve${force_flag}${dry_run_flag}
-   "@OPTDIR@/bin/xe" vm-import filename="${full_dir}/${meta}" sr-uuid=${sr_uuid} --metadata --preserve${force_flag}${dry_run_flag}
+   echo xe vm-import filename="${meta}" sr-uuid="${sr_uuid}" --metadata --preserve"${force_flag}""${dry_run_flag}"
+   "@OPTDIR@/bin/xe" vm-import filename="${full_dir}/${meta}" sr-uuid="${sr_uuid}" --metadata --preserve"${force_flag}""${dry_run_flag}"
    if [ $? -gt 0 ]; then
       error_count=$(( $error_count + 1 ))
    else
@@ -306,16 +328,16 @@ for meta in *.vmmeta; do
    fi
 done
 
-smmeta_file=${mnt}/metadata/${chosen_metadata_dir}/SRMETA.xml
+smmeta_file="${mnt}/metadata/${chosen_metadata_dir}/SRMETA.xml"
 if [ "$restore_mode" == "all" ]; then
    cmd="@LIBEXECDIR@/restore-sr-metadata.py -f ${smmeta_file}"
 else
    cmd="@LIBEXECDIR@/restore-sr-metadata.py -u ${sr_uuid} -f ${smmeta_file}"
 fi
 
-if [ -e ${smmeta_file} ]; then
-    if [ ${dry_run} -gt 0 ]; then
-        echo ${cmd}
+if [ -e "${smmeta_file}" ]; then
+    if [ "${dry_run}" -gt 0 ]; then
+        echo "${cmd}"
     else
         ${cmd}
     fi
@@ -323,4 +345,4 @@ fi
 
 echo "Restored ${good_count} VM(s), and ${error_count} error(s)"
 cleanup
-exit ${error_count}
+exit "${error_count}"