{
        int n_counter;
 
-       decrement_counters_in_path(p_s_tb->tb_path);
+       pathrelse(p_s_tb->tb_path);
 
        for (n_counter = 0; n_counter < MAX_HEIGHT; n_counter++) {
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->L[n_counter]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->L[n_counter]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->R[n_counter]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->FL[n_counter]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->FR[n_counter]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->CFL[n_counter]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->CFR[n_counter]);
+
                p_s_tb->L[n_counter] = NULL;
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->R[n_counter]);
                p_s_tb->R[n_counter] = NULL;
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->FL[n_counter]);
                p_s_tb->FL[n_counter] = NULL;
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->FR[n_counter]);
                p_s_tb->FR[n_counter] = NULL;
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->CFL[n_counter]);
                p_s_tb->CFL[n_counter] = NULL;
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->CFR[n_counter]);
                p_s_tb->CFR[n_counter] = NULL;
        }
 }
        if (buffer_locked(*pp_s_com_father)) {
                __wait_on_buffer(*pp_s_com_father);
                if (FILESYSTEM_CHANGED_TB(p_s_tb)) {
-                       decrement_bcount(*pp_s_com_father);
+                       brelse(*pp_s_com_father);
                        return REPEAT_SEARCH;
                }
        }
                return IO_ERROR;
 
        if (FILESYSTEM_CHANGED_TB(p_s_tb)) {
-               decrement_counters_in_path(&s_path_to_neighbor_father);
-               decrement_bcount(*pp_s_com_father);
+               pathrelse(&s_path_to_neighbor_father);
+               brelse(*pp_s_com_father);
                return REPEAT_SEARCH;
        }
 
               FIRST_PATH_ELEMENT_OFFSET, "PAP-8192: path length is too small");
 
        s_path_to_neighbor_father.path_length--;
-       decrement_counters_in_path(&s_path_to_neighbor_father);
+       pathrelse(&s_path_to_neighbor_father);
        return CARRY_ON;
 }
 
        if (n_path_offset <= FIRST_PATH_ELEMENT_OFFSET) {
                /* The root can not have parents.
                   Release nodes which previously were obtained as parents of the current node neighbors. */
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->FL[n_h]);
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->CFL[n_h]);
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->FR[n_h]);
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->CFR[n_h]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->FL[n_h]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->CFL[n_h]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->FR[n_h]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->CFR[n_h]);
                p_s_tb->FL[n_h] = p_s_tb->CFL[n_h] = p_s_tb->FR[n_h] =
                    p_s_tb->CFR[n_h] = NULL;
                return CARRY_ON;
                        return n_ret_value;
        }
 
-       decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->FL[n_h]);
+       brelse(p_s_tb->FL[n_h]);
        p_s_tb->FL[n_h] = p_s_curf;     /* New initialization of FL[n_h]. */
-       decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->CFL[n_h]);
+       brelse(p_s_tb->CFL[n_h]);
        p_s_tb->CFL[n_h] = p_s_curcf;   /* New initialization of CFL[n_h]. */
 
        RFALSE((p_s_curf && !B_IS_IN_TREE(p_s_curf)) ||
                p_s_tb->rkey[n_h] = n_position;
        }
 
-       decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->FR[n_h]);
+       brelse(p_s_tb->FR[n_h]);
        p_s_tb->FR[n_h] = p_s_curf;     /* New initialization of FR[n_path_offset]. */
 
-       decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->CFR[n_h]);
+       brelse(p_s_tb->CFR[n_h]);
        p_s_tb->CFR[n_h] = p_s_curcf;   /* New initialization of CFR[n_path_offset]. */
 
        RFALSE((p_s_curf && !B_IS_IN_TREE(p_s_curf)) ||
                if (!p_s_bh)
                        return IO_ERROR;
                if (FILESYSTEM_CHANGED_TB(p_s_tb)) {
-                       decrement_bcount(p_s_bh);
+                       brelse(p_s_bh);
                        PROC_INFO_INC(p_s_sb, get_neighbors_restart[n_h]);
                        return REPEAT_SEARCH;
                }
                       dc_size(B_N_CHILD(p_s_tb->FL[0], n_child_position)),
                       "PAP-8290: invalid child size of left neighbor");
 
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->L[n_h]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->L[n_h]);
                p_s_tb->L[n_h] = p_s_bh;
        }
 
                if (!p_s_bh)
                        return IO_ERROR;
                if (FILESYSTEM_CHANGED_TB(p_s_tb)) {
-                       decrement_bcount(p_s_bh);
+                       brelse(p_s_bh);
                        PROC_INFO_INC(p_s_sb, get_neighbors_restart[n_h]);
                        return REPEAT_SEARCH;
                }
-               decrement_bcount(p_s_tb->R[n_h]);
+               brelse(p_s_tb->R[n_h]);
                p_s_tb->R[n_h] = p_s_bh;
 
                RFALSE(!n_h
                        }
 
                        brelse(p_s_tb->L[i]);
-                       p_s_tb->L[i] = NULL;
                        brelse(p_s_tb->R[i]);
-                       p_s_tb->R[i] = NULL;
                        brelse(p_s_tb->FL[i]);
-                       p_s_tb->FL[i] = NULL;
                        brelse(p_s_tb->FR[i]);
-                       p_s_tb->FR[i] = NULL;
                        brelse(p_s_tb->CFL[i]);
-                       p_s_tb->CFL[i] = NULL;
                        brelse(p_s_tb->CFR[i]);
+
+                       p_s_tb->L[i] = NULL;
+                       p_s_tb->R[i] = NULL;
+                       p_s_tb->FL[i] = NULL;
+                       p_s_tb->FR[i] = NULL;
+                       p_s_tb->CFL[i] = NULL;
                        p_s_tb->CFR[i] = NULL;
                }
 
 
  * get_rkey
  * key_in_buffer
  * decrement_bcount
- * decrement_counters_in_path
  * reiserfs_check_path
  * pathrelse_and_restore
  * pathrelse
        return 1;
 }
 
-inline void decrement_bcount(struct buffer_head *p_s_bh)
-{
-       if (p_s_bh) {
-               if (atomic_read(&(p_s_bh->b_count))) {
-                       put_bh(p_s_bh);
-                       return;
-               }
-               reiserfs_panic(NULL, "PAP-5070",
-                              "trying to free free buffer %b", p_s_bh);
-       }
-}
-
-/* Decrement b_count field of the all buffers in the path. */
-void decrement_counters_in_path(struct treepath *p_s_search_path)
-{
-       int n_path_offset = p_s_search_path->path_length;
-
-       RFALSE(n_path_offset < ILLEGAL_PATH_ELEMENT_OFFSET ||
-              n_path_offset > EXTENDED_MAX_HEIGHT - 1,
-              "PAP-5080: invalid path offset of %d", n_path_offset);
-
-       while (n_path_offset > ILLEGAL_PATH_ELEMENT_OFFSET) {
-               struct buffer_head *bh;
-
-               bh = PATH_OFFSET_PBUFFER(p_s_search_path, n_path_offset--);
-               decrement_bcount(bh);
-       }
-       p_s_search_path->path_length = ILLEGAL_PATH_ELEMENT_OFFSET;
-}
-
 int reiserfs_check_path(struct treepath *p)
 {
        RFALSE(p->path_length != ILLEGAL_PATH_ELEMENT_OFFSET,
        return 0;
 }
 
-/* Release all buffers in the path. Restore dirty bits clean
-** when preparing the buffer for the log
-**
-** only called from fix_nodes()
-*/
-void pathrelse_and_restore(struct super_block *s, struct treepath *p_s_search_path)
+/* Drop the reference to each buffer in a path and restore
+ * dirty bits clean when preparing the buffer for the log.
+ * This version should only be called from fix_nodes() */
+void pathrelse_and_restore(struct super_block *sb,
+                          struct treepath *p_s_search_path)
 {
        int n_path_offset = p_s_search_path->path_length;
 
               "clm-4000: invalid path offset");
 
        while (n_path_offset > ILLEGAL_PATH_ELEMENT_OFFSET) {
-               reiserfs_restore_prepared_buffer(s,
-                                                PATH_OFFSET_PBUFFER
-                                                (p_s_search_path,
-                                                 n_path_offset));
-               brelse(PATH_OFFSET_PBUFFER(p_s_search_path, n_path_offset--));
+               struct buffer_head *bh;
+               bh = PATH_OFFSET_PBUFFER(p_s_search_path, n_path_offset--);
+               reiserfs_restore_prepared_buffer(sb, bh);
+               brelse(bh);
        }
        p_s_search_path->path_length = ILLEGAL_PATH_ELEMENT_OFFSET;
 }
 
-/* Release all buffers in the path. */
+/* Drop the reference to each buffer in a path */
 void pathrelse(struct treepath *p_s_search_path)
 {
        int n_path_offset = p_s_search_path->path_length;
           we must be careful to release all nodes in a path before we either
           discard the path struct or re-use the path struct, as we do here. */
 
-       decrement_counters_in_path(p_s_search_path);
+       pathrelse(p_s_search_path);
 
        right_neighbor_of_leaf_node = 0;
 
                        PROC_INFO_INC(p_s_sb, search_by_key_restarted);
                        PROC_INFO_INC(p_s_sb,
                                      sbk_restarted[expected_level - 1]);
-                       decrement_counters_in_path(p_s_search_path);
+                       pathrelse(p_s_search_path);
 
                        /* Get the root block number so that we can repeat the search
                           starting from the root. */
                if (journal_transaction_should_end(th, 0) ||
                    reiserfs_transaction_free_space(th) <= JOURNAL_FOR_FREE_BLOCK_AND_UPDATE_SD) {
                        int orig_len_alloc = th->t_blocks_allocated;
-                       decrement_counters_in_path(&s_search_path);
+                       pathrelse(&s_search_path);
 
                        if (update_timestamps) {
                                p_s_inode->i_mtime = p_s_inode->i_ctime =