bool    sec_kerberosu2u;        /* supports U2U Kerberos */
        bool    sec_ntlmssp;            /* supports NTLMSSP */
        bool session_estab; /* mark when very first sess is established */
+       struct delayed_work     echo; /* echo ping workqueue job */
 #ifdef CONFIG_CIFS_FSCACHE
        struct fscache_cookie   *fscache; /* client index cache cookie */
 #endif
 
 #define CIFS_PORT 445
 #define RFC1001_PORT 139
 
+/* SMB echo "timeout" -- FIXME: tunable? */
+#define SMB_ECHO_INTERVAL (60 * HZ)
+
 extern void SMBNTencrypt(unsigned char *passwd, unsigned char *c8,
                         unsigned char *p24);
 
 
 }
 
+static void
+cifs_echo_request(struct work_struct *work)
+{
+       int rc;
+       struct TCP_Server_Info *server = container_of(work,
+                                       struct TCP_Server_Info, echo.work);
+
+       /* no need to ping if we got a response recently */
+       if (time_before(jiffies, server->lstrp + SMB_ECHO_INTERVAL - HZ))
+               goto requeue_echo;
+
+       rc = CIFSSMBEcho(server);
+       if (rc)
+               cFYI(1, "Unable to send echo request to server: %s",
+                       server->hostname);
+
+requeue_echo:
+       queue_delayed_work(system_nrt_wq, &server->echo, SMB_ECHO_INTERVAL);
+}
+
 static int
 cifs_demultiplex_thread(struct TCP_Server_Info *server)
 {
        list_del_init(&server->tcp_ses_list);
        spin_unlock(&cifs_tcp_ses_lock);
 
+       cancel_delayed_work_sync(&server->echo);
+
        spin_lock(&GlobalMid_Lock);
        server->tcpStatus = CifsExiting;
        spin_unlock(&GlobalMid_Lock);
        tcp_ses->sequence_number = 0;
        INIT_LIST_HEAD(&tcp_ses->tcp_ses_list);
        INIT_LIST_HEAD(&tcp_ses->smb_ses_list);
+       INIT_DELAYED_WORK(&tcp_ses->echo, cifs_echo_request);
 
        /*
         * at this point we are the only ones with the pointer
 
        cifs_fscache_get_client_cookie(tcp_ses);
 
+       /* queue echo request delayed work */
+       queue_delayed_work(system_nrt_wq, &tcp_ses->echo, SMB_ECHO_INTERVAL);
+
        return tcp_ses;
 
 out_err_crypto_release: