diff --git a/includes/bootstrap.inc b/includes/bootstrap.inc
index 1b7b52eb4d5..81598b5c9a0 100644
--- a/includes/bootstrap.inc
+++ b/includes/bootstrap.inc
@@ -701,12 +701,12 @@ function drupal_get_filename($type, $name, $filename = NULL) {
  */
 function variable_initialize($conf = array()) {
   // NOTE: caching the variables improves performance by 20% when serving cached pages.
-  if ($cached = cache_get('variables', 'cache')) {
+  if ($cached = cache_get('variables', 'cache_bootstrap')) {
     $variables = $cached->data;
   }
   else {
     $variables = array_map('unserialize', db_query('SELECT name, value FROM {variable}')->fetchAllKeyed());
-    cache_set('variables', $variables);
+    cache_set('variables', $variables, 'cache_bootstrap');
   }
 
   foreach ($conf as $name => $value) {
@@ -750,7 +750,7 @@ function variable_set($name, $value) {
 
   db_merge('variable')->key(array('name' => $name))->fields(array('value' => serialize($value)))->execute();
 
-  cache_clear_all('variables', 'cache');
+  cache_clear_all('variables', 'cache_bootstrap');
 
   $conf[$name] = $value;
 }
@@ -769,7 +769,7 @@ function variable_del($name) {
   db_delete('variable')
     ->condition('name', $name)
     ->execute();
-  cache_clear_all('variables', 'cache');
+  cache_clear_all('variables', 'cache_bootstrap');
 
   unset($conf[$name]);
 }
@@ -2005,7 +2005,7 @@ function _registry_check_code($type, $name = NULL) {
 
   if (!isset($lookup_cache)) {
     $lookup_cache = array();
-    if ($cache = cache_get('lookup_cache', 'cache_registry')) {
+    if ($cache = cache_get('lookup_cache', 'cache_bootstrap')) {
       $lookup_cache = $cache->data;
     }
   }
@@ -2022,7 +2022,7 @@ function _registry_check_code($type, $name = NULL) {
   // changes to the lookup cache for this request.
   if ($type == REGISTRY_WRITE_LOOKUP_CACHE) {
     if ($cache_update_needed) {
-      cache_set('lookup_cache', $lookup_cache, 'cache_registry');
+      cache_set('lookup_cache', $lookup_cache, 'cache_bootstrap');
     }
     return;
   }
diff --git a/includes/cache.inc b/includes/cache.inc
index 6069ce00416..8eb1573b36a 100644
--- a/includes/cache.inc
+++ b/includes/cache.inc
@@ -36,9 +36,10 @@ function _cache_get_object($bin) {
  *   The cache ID of the data to retrieve.
  * @param $bin
  *   The cache bin to store the data in. Valid core values are 'cache_block',
- *   'cache_field', 'cache_filter', 'cache_form', 'cache_menu', 'cache_page',
- *   'cache_path', 'cache_registry', 'cache_update' or 'cache' for the default
- *   cache.
+ *   'cache_bootstrap', 'cache_field', 'cache_filter', 'cache_form',
+ *   'cache_menu', 'cache_page', 'cache_path', 'cache_update' or 'cache' for
+ *   the default cache.
+ *
  * @return The cache or FALSE on failure.
  */
 function cache_get($cid, $bin = 'cache') {
@@ -117,8 +118,8 @@ function cache_get_multiple(array &$cids, $bin = 'cache') {
  *   Strings will be stored as plain text and not serialized.
  * @param $bin
  *   The cache bin to store the data in. Valid core values are 'cache_block',
- *   'cache_field', 'cache_filter', 'cache_form', 'cache_menu', 'cache_page',
- *   'cache_path', 'cache_registry', 'cache_update' or 'cache' for the default
+ *   'cache_bootstrap', 'cache_field', 'cache_filter', 'cache_form',
+ *   'cache_menu', 'cache_page', 'cache_update' or 'cache' for the default
  *   cache.
  * @param $expire
  *   One of the following values:
diff --git a/includes/common.inc b/includes/common.inc
index 310bfebcdc1..6bce4c59903 100644
--- a/includes/common.inc
+++ b/includes/common.inc
@@ -6088,7 +6088,7 @@ function drupal_flush_all_caches() {
   node_types_rebuild();
   // Don't clear cache_form - in-progress form submissions may break.
   // Ordered so clearing the page cache will always be the last action.
-  $core = array('cache', 'cache_filter', 'cache_registry', 'cache_page');
+  $core = array('cache', 'cache_filter', 'cache_bootstrap', 'cache_page');
   $cache_tables = array_merge(module_invoke_all('flush_caches'), $core);
   foreach ($cache_tables as $table) {
     cache_clear_all('*', $table, TRUE);
diff --git a/includes/module.inc b/includes/module.inc
index 6294bda8e42..2bb2ce316ac 100644
--- a/includes/module.inc
+++ b/includes/module.inc
@@ -438,16 +438,16 @@ function module_implements($hook, $sort = FALSE, $reset = FALSE) {
   // per request.
   if ($reset) {
     $implementations = array();
-    cache_set('module_implements', array());
+    cache_set('module_implements', array(), 'cache_bootstrap');
     drupal_static_reset('module_hook_info');
     drupal_static_reset('drupal_alter');
-    cache_clear_all('hook_info', 'cache');
+    cache_clear_all('hook_info', 'cache_bootstrap');
     return;
   }
 
   // Fetch implementations from cache.
   if (empty($implementations)) {
-    $implementations = cache_get('module_implements');
+    $implementations = cache_get('module_implements', 'cache_bootstrap');
     if ($implementations === FALSE) {
       $implementations = array();
     }
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ function module_hook_info() {
   $hook_info = &drupal_static(__FUNCTION__, array());
 
   if (empty($hook_info)) {
-    $cache = cache_get('hook_info');
+    $cache = cache_get('hook_info', 'cache_bootstrap');
     if ($cache === FALSE) {
       // Rebuild the cache and save it.
       // We can't use module_invoke_all() here or it would cause an infinite
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ function module_hook_info() {
           $function($hook_info);
         }
       }
-      cache_set('hook_info', $hook_info);
+      cache_set('hook_info', $hook_info, 'cache_bootstrap');
     }
     else {
       $hook_info = $cache->data;
diff --git a/includes/registry.inc b/includes/registry.inc
index 2bc98e0b16e..be715485197 100644
--- a/includes/registry.inc
+++ b/includes/registry.inc
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ function _registry_rebuild() {
 
   $unchanged_resources = array();
   $lookup_cache = array();
-  if ($cache = cache_get('lookup_cache', 'cache_registry')) {
+  if ($cache = cache_get('lookup_cache', 'cache_bootstrap')) {
     $lookup_cache = $cache->data;
   }
   foreach ($lookup_cache as $key => $file) {
@@ -96,12 +96,10 @@ function _registry_rebuild() {
   module_implements('', FALSE, TRUE);
   _registry_check_code(REGISTRY_RESET_LOOKUP_CACHE);
 
-  cache_clear_all('*', 'cache_registry', TRUE);
-
   // We have some unchanged resources, warm up the cache - no need to pay
   // for looking them up again.
   if (count($unchanged_resources) > 0) {
-    cache_set('lookup_cache', $unchanged_resources, 'cache_registry');
+    cache_set('lookup_cache', $unchanged_resources, 'cache_bootstrap');
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/includes/update.inc b/includes/update.inc
index 344d250fe99..64353023b17 100644
--- a/includes/update.inc
+++ b/includes/update.inc
@@ -286,6 +286,10 @@ function update_fix_d7_requirements() {
     db_create_table('date_formats', $schema['date_formats']);
     db_create_table('date_format_locale', $schema['date_format_locale']);
 
+    $schema['cache_bootstrap'] = $schema['cache'];
+    $schema['cache_bootstrap']['description'] = 'Cache table for data required to bootstrap Drupal, may be routed to a shared memory cache.';
+    db_create_table('cache_bootstrap', $schema['cache_bootstrap']);
+
     // Add column for locale context.
     if (db_table_exists('locales_source')) {
       db_add_field('locales_source', 'context', array('type' => 'varchar', 'length' => 255, 'not null' => TRUE, 'default' => '', 'description' => 'The context this string applies to.'));
diff --git a/modules/simpletest/drupal_web_test_case.php b/modules/simpletest/drupal_web_test_case.php
index 9b0bf727546..98f4445ba60 100644
--- a/modules/simpletest/drupal_web_test_case.php
+++ b/modules/simpletest/drupal_web_test_case.php
@@ -1149,7 +1149,7 @@ class DrupalWebTestCase extends DrupalTestCase {
    */
   protected function refreshVariables() {
     global $conf;
-    cache_clear_all('variables', 'cache');
+    cache_clear_all('variables', 'cache_bootstrap');
     $conf = variable_initialize();
   }
 
diff --git a/modules/system/system.install b/modules/system/system.install
index 6c3f1b40637..412d116b1fc 100644
--- a/modules/system/system.install
+++ b/modules/system/system.install
@@ -701,6 +701,8 @@ function system_schema() {
     'primary key' => array('cid'),
   );
 
+  $schema['cache_bootstrap'] = $schema['cache'];
+  $schema['cache_bootstrap']['description'] = 'Cache table for data required to bootstrap Drupal, may be routed to a shared memory cache.';
   $schema['cache_form'] = $schema['cache'];
   $schema['cache_form']['description'] = 'Cache table for the form system to store recently built forms and their storage data, to be used in subsequent page requests.';
   $schema['cache_page'] = $schema['cache'];
@@ -709,8 +711,6 @@ function system_schema() {
   $schema['cache_menu']['description'] = 'Cache table for the menu system to store router information as well as generated link trees for various menu/page/user combinations.';
   $schema['cache_path'] = $schema['cache'];
   $schema['cache_path']['description'] = 'Cache table for path alias lookup.';
-  $schema['cache_registry'] = $schema['cache'];
-  $schema['cache_registry']['description'] = 'Cache table for the code registry system to remember what code files need to be loaded on any given page.';
 
   $schema['date_format_type'] = array(
     'description' => 'Stores configured date format types.',
@@ -1962,19 +1962,6 @@ function system_update_7006() {
     ),
     'primary key' => array('filename'),
   );
-  $schema['cache_registry'] = array(
-    'fields' => array(
-      'cid'        => array('type' => 'varchar', 'length' => 255, 'not null' => TRUE, 'default' => ''),
-      'data'       => array('type' => 'blob', 'not null' => FALSE, 'size' => 'big'),
-      'expire'     => array('type' => 'int', 'not null' => TRUE, 'default' => 0),
-      'created'    => array('type' => 'int', 'not null' => TRUE, 'default' => 0),
-      'headers'    => array('type' => 'text', 'not null' => FALSE),
-      'serialized' => array('type' => 'int', 'size' => 'small', 'not null' => TRUE, 'default' => 0)
-    ),
-    'indexes' => array('expire' => array('expire')),
-    'primary key' => array('cid'),
-  );
-  db_create_table('cache_registry', $schema['cache_registry']);
   db_create_table('registry', $schema['registry']);
   db_create_table('registry_file', $schema['registry_file']);
   registry_rebuild();