rpcrdma_mrs_create(r_xprt);
 }
 
-struct rpcrdma_req *
-rpcrdma_create_req(struct rpcrdma_xprt *r_xprt)
+/**
+ * rpcrdma_req_create - Allocate an rpcrdma_req object
+ * @r_xprt: controlling r_xprt
+ * @flags: GFP flags passed to memory allocators
+ *
+ * Returns an allocated and fully initialized rpcrdma_req or NULL.
+ */
+struct rpcrdma_req *rpcrdma_req_create(struct rpcrdma_xprt *r_xprt, gfp_t flags)
 {
        struct rpcrdma_buffer *buffer = &r_xprt->rx_buf;
        struct rpcrdma_regbuf *rb;
        struct rpcrdma_req *req;
 
-       req = kzalloc(sizeof(*req), GFP_KERNEL);
+       req = kzalloc(sizeof(*req), flags);
        if (req == NULL)
-               return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+               return NULL;
 
-       rb = rpcrdma_alloc_regbuf(RPCRDMA_HDRBUF_SIZE,
-                                 DMA_TO_DEVICE, GFP_KERNEL);
+       rb = rpcrdma_alloc_regbuf(RPCRDMA_HDRBUF_SIZE, DMA_TO_DEVICE, flags);
        if (IS_ERR(rb)) {
                kfree(req);
-               return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+               return NULL;
        }
        req->rl_rdmabuf = rb;
        xdr_buf_init(&req->rl_hdrbuf, rb->rg_base, rdmab_length(rb));
 
        INIT_LIST_HEAD(&buf->rb_send_bufs);
        INIT_LIST_HEAD(&buf->rb_allreqs);
+
+       rc = -ENOMEM;
        for (i = 0; i < buf->rb_max_requests; i++) {
                struct rpcrdma_req *req;
 
-               req = rpcrdma_create_req(r_xprt);
-               if (IS_ERR(req)) {
-                       dprintk("RPC:       %s: request buffer %d alloc"
-                               " failed\n", __func__, i);
-                       rc = PTR_ERR(req);
+               req = rpcrdma_req_create(r_xprt, GFP_KERNEL);
+               if (!req)
                        goto out;
-               }
                list_add(&req->rl_list, &buf->rb_send_bufs);
        }
 
 
 /*
  * Buffer calls - xprtrdma/verbs.c
  */
-struct rpcrdma_req *rpcrdma_create_req(struct rpcrdma_xprt *);
+struct rpcrdma_req *rpcrdma_req_create(struct rpcrdma_xprt *r_xprt,
+                                      gfp_t flags);
 void rpcrdma_req_destroy(struct rpcrdma_req *req);
 int rpcrdma_buffer_create(struct rpcrdma_xprt *);
 void rpcrdma_buffer_destroy(struct rpcrdma_buffer *);