if (kstrtoull(buf, 10, &new_offset) < 0)
                return -EINVAL;
 
-       if (mddev->sync_thread ||
-           test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING,&mddev->recovery))
+       if (test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery))
                return -EBUSY;
        if (new_offset == rdev->data_offset)
                /* reset is always permitted */
         */
 
        rv = -EBUSY;
-       if (mddev->sync_thread ||
-           test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery) ||
+       if (test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery) ||
            mddev->reshape_position != MaxSector ||
            mddev->sysfs_active)
                goto out_unlock;
 
        mutex_lock(&mddev->open_mutex);
        if ((mddev->pers && atomic_read(&mddev->openers) > !!bdev) ||
-           mddev->sync_thread ||
            test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery)) {
                pr_warn("md: %s still in use.\n",mdname(mddev));
                err = -EBUSY;
        mutex_lock(&mddev->open_mutex);
        if ((mddev->pers && atomic_read(&mddev->openers) > !!bdev) ||
            mddev->sysfs_active ||
-           mddev->sync_thread ||
            test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery)) {
                pr_warn("md: %s still in use.\n",mdname(mddev));
                mutex_unlock(&mddev->open_mutex);
         * of each device.  If num_sectors is zero, we find the largest size
         * that fits.
         */
-       if (test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery) ||
-           mddev->sync_thread)
+       if (test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery))
                return -EBUSY;
        if (!md_is_rdwr(mddev))
                return -EROFS;
        if (raid_disks <= 0 ||
            (mddev->max_disks && raid_disks >= mddev->max_disks))
                return -EINVAL;
-       if (mddev->sync_thread ||
-           test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery) ||
+       if (test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery) ||
            test_bit(MD_RESYNCING_REMOTE, &mddev->recovery) ||
            mddev->reshape_position != MaxSector)
                return -EBUSY;
 
        pr_debug("md/raid: change stripe_size from %lu to %lu\n",
                        conf->stripe_size, new);
 
-       if (mddev->sync_thread ||
-               test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery) ||
-               mddev->reshape_position != MaxSector ||
-               mddev->sysfs_active) {
+       if (test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery) ||
+           mddev->reshape_position != MaxSector || mddev->sysfs_active) {
                err = -EBUSY;
                goto out_unlock;
        }