*     ext4_alloc_block() (normally -ENOSPC). Otherwise we set the chain
  *     as described above and return 0.
  */
-static int ext4_alloc_branch(handle_t *handle, struct inode *inode,
-                            ext4_lblk_t iblock, int indirect_blks,
-                            int *blks, ext4_fsblk_t goal,
-                            ext4_lblk_t *offsets, Indirect *branch)
+static int ext4_alloc_branch(handle_t *handle,
+                            struct ext4_allocation_request *ar,
+                            int indirect_blks, ext4_lblk_t *offsets,
+                            Indirect *branch)
 {
-       struct ext4_allocation_request  ar;
        struct buffer_head *            bh;
        ext4_fsblk_t                    b, new_blocks[4];
        __le32                          *p;
        int                             i, j, err, len = 1;
 
-       /*
-        * Set up for the direct block allocation
-        */
-       memset(&ar, 0, sizeof(ar));
-       ar.inode = inode;
-       ar.len = *blks;
-       ar.logical = iblock;
-       if (S_ISREG(inode->i_mode))
-               ar.flags = EXT4_MB_HINT_DATA;
-
        for (i = 0; i <= indirect_blks; i++) {
                if (i == indirect_blks) {
-                       ar.goal = goal;
-                       new_blocks[i] = ext4_mb_new_blocks(handle, &ar, &err);
+                       new_blocks[i] = ext4_mb_new_blocks(handle, ar, &err);
                } else
-                       goal = new_blocks[i] = ext4_new_meta_blocks(handle, inode,
-                                                       goal, 0, NULL, &err);
+                       ar->goal = new_blocks[i] = ext4_new_meta_blocks(handle,
+                                   ar->inode, ar->goal, 0, NULL, &err);
                if (err) {
                        i--;
                        goto failed;
                if (i == 0)
                        continue;
 
-               bh = branch[i].bh = sb_getblk(inode->i_sb, new_blocks[i-1]);
+               bh = branch[i].bh = sb_getblk(ar->inode->i_sb, new_blocks[i-1]);
                if (unlikely(!bh)) {
                        err = -ENOMEM;
                        goto failed;
                b = new_blocks[i];
 
                if (i == indirect_blks)
-                       len = ar.len;
+                       len = ar->len;
                for (j = 0; j < len; j++)
                        *p++ = cpu_to_le32(b++);
 
                unlock_buffer(bh);
 
                BUFFER_TRACE(bh, "call ext4_handle_dirty_metadata");
-               err = ext4_handle_dirty_metadata(handle, inode, bh);
+               err = ext4_handle_dirty_metadata(handle, ar->inode, bh);
                if (err)
                        goto failed;
        }
-       *blks = ar.len;
        return 0;
 failed:
        for (; i >= 0; i--) {
                 * existing before ext4_alloc_branch() was called.
                 */
                if (i > 0 && i != indirect_blks && branch[i].bh)
-                       ext4_forget(handle, 1, inode, branch[i].bh,
+                       ext4_forget(handle, 1, ar->inode, branch[i].bh,
                                    branch[i].bh->b_blocknr);
-               ext4_free_blocks(handle, inode, NULL, new_blocks[i],
-                                (i == indirect_blks) ? ar.len : 1, 0);
+               ext4_free_blocks(handle, ar->inode, NULL, new_blocks[i],
+                                (i == indirect_blks) ? ar->len : 1, 0);
        }
        return err;
 }
  * inode (->i_blocks, etc.). In case of success we end up with the full
  * chain to new block and return 0.
  */
-static int ext4_splice_branch(handle_t *handle, struct inode *inode,
-                             ext4_lblk_t block, Indirect *where, int num,
-                             int blks)
+static int ext4_splice_branch(handle_t *handle,
+                             struct ext4_allocation_request *ar,
+                             Indirect *where, int num)
 {
        int i;
        int err = 0;
         * Update the host buffer_head or inode to point to more just allocated
         * direct blocks blocks
         */
-       if (num == 0 && blks > 1) {
+       if (num == 0 && ar->len > 1) {
                current_block = le32_to_cpu(where->key) + 1;
-               for (i = 1; i < blks; i++)
+               for (i = 1; i < ar->len; i++)
                        *(where->p + i) = cpu_to_le32(current_block++);
        }
 
                 */
                jbd_debug(5, "splicing indirect only\n");
                BUFFER_TRACE(where->bh, "call ext4_handle_dirty_metadata");
-               err = ext4_handle_dirty_metadata(handle, inode, where->bh);
+               err = ext4_handle_dirty_metadata(handle, ar->inode, where->bh);
                if (err)
                        goto err_out;
        } else {
                /*
                 * OK, we spliced it into the inode itself on a direct block.
                 */
-               ext4_mark_inode_dirty(handle, inode);
+               ext4_mark_inode_dirty(handle, ar->inode);
                jbd_debug(5, "splicing direct\n");
        }
        return err;
                 * need to revoke the block, which is why we don't
                 * need to set EXT4_FREE_BLOCKS_METADATA.
                 */
-               ext4_free_blocks(handle, inode, where[i].bh, 0, 1,
+               ext4_free_blocks(handle, ar->inode, where[i].bh, 0, 1,
                                 EXT4_FREE_BLOCKS_FORGET);
        }
-       ext4_free_blocks(handle, inode, NULL, le32_to_cpu(where[num].key),
-                        blks, 0);
+       ext4_free_blocks(handle, ar->inode, NULL, le32_to_cpu(where[num].key),
+                        ar->len, 0);
 
        return err;
 }
                        struct ext4_map_blocks *map,
                        int flags)
 {
+       struct ext4_allocation_request ar;
        int err = -EIO;
        ext4_lblk_t offsets[4];
        Indirect chain[4];
        Indirect *partial;
-       ext4_fsblk_t goal;
        int indirect_blks;
        int blocks_to_boundary = 0;
        int depth;
                return -ENOSPC;
        }
 
-       goal = ext4_find_goal(inode, map->m_lblk, partial);
+       /* Set up for the direct block allocation */
+       memset(&ar, 0, sizeof(ar));
+       ar.inode = inode;
+       ar.logical = map->m_lblk;
+       if (S_ISREG(inode->i_mode))
+               ar.flags = EXT4_MB_HINT_DATA;
+
+       ar.goal = ext4_find_goal(inode, map->m_lblk, partial);
 
        /* the number of blocks need to allocate for [d,t]indirect blocks */
        indirect_blks = (chain + depth) - partial - 1;
         * Next look up the indirect map to count the totoal number of
         * direct blocks to allocate for this branch.
         */
-       count = ext4_blks_to_allocate(partial, indirect_blks,
-                                     map->m_len, blocks_to_boundary);
+       ar.len = ext4_blks_to_allocate(partial, indirect_blks,
+                                      map->m_len, blocks_to_boundary);
+
        /*
         * Block out ext4_truncate while we alter the tree
         */
-       err = ext4_alloc_branch(handle, inode, map->m_lblk, indirect_blks,
-                               &count, goal,
+       err = ext4_alloc_branch(handle, &ar, indirect_blks,
                                offsets + (partial - chain), partial);
 
        /*
         * may need to return -EAGAIN upwards in the worst case.  --sct
         */
        if (!err)
-               err = ext4_splice_branch(handle, inode, map->m_lblk,
-                                        partial, indirect_blks, count);
+               err = ext4_splice_branch(handle, &ar, partial, indirect_blks);
        if (err)
                goto cleanup;
 
        map->m_flags |= EXT4_MAP_NEW;
 
        ext4_update_inode_fsync_trans(handle, inode, 1);
+       count = ar.len;
 got_it:
        map->m_flags |= EXT4_MAP_MAPPED;
        map->m_pblk = le32_to_cpu(chain[depth-1].key);