static struct dentry *autofs4_lookup(struct inode *,struct dentry *, struct nameidata *);
 static struct vfsmount *autofs4_d_automount(struct path *);
 static int autofs4_d_manage(struct dentry *, bool, bool);
+static void autofs4_dentry_release(struct dentry *);
 
 const struct file_operations autofs4_root_operations = {
        .open           = dcache_dir_open,
        return dcache_dir_open(inode, file);
 }
 
-void autofs4_dentry_release(struct dentry *de)
+static void autofs4_dentry_release(struct dentry *de)
 {
-       struct autofs_info *inf;
+       struct autofs_info *ino = autofs4_dentry_ino(de);
+       struct autofs_sb_info *sbi = autofs4_sbi(de->d_sb);
 
        DPRINTK("releasing %p", de);
 
-       inf = autofs4_dentry_ino(de);
-       if (inf) {
-               struct autofs_sb_info *sbi = autofs4_sbi(de->d_sb);
-               if (sbi) {
-                       spin_lock(&sbi->lookup_lock);
-                       if (!list_empty(&inf->active))
-                               list_del(&inf->active);
-                       if (!list_empty(&inf->expiring))
-                               list_del(&inf->expiring);
-                       spin_unlock(&sbi->lookup_lock);
-               }
-               autofs4_free_ino(inf);
+       if (!ino)
+               return;
+
+       if (sbi) {
+               spin_lock(&sbi->lookup_lock);
+               if (!list_empty(&ino->active))
+                       list_del(&ino->active);
+               if (!list_empty(&ino->expiring))
+                       list_del(&ino->expiring);
+               spin_unlock(&sbi->lookup_lock);
        }
+
+       autofs4_free_ino(ino);
 }
 
 static struct dentry *autofs4_lookup_active(struct dentry *dentry)