static int
 rpc_setup_pipedir(struct rpc_clnt *clnt, char *dir_name)
 {
-       static unsigned int clntid;
-       char name[128];
+       static uint32_t clntid;
        int error;
 
        if (dir_name == NULL)
                return 0;
-
- retry_parent:
-       clnt->__cl_parent_dentry = rpc_mkdir(NULL, dir_name, NULL);
-       if (IS_ERR(clnt->__cl_parent_dentry)) {
-               error = PTR_ERR(clnt->__cl_parent_dentry);
-               if (error == -EEXIST)
-                       goto retry_parent; /* XXX(hch): WTF? */
-       
-               printk(KERN_INFO "RPC: Couldn't create pipefs entry %s, error %d\n",
-                               dir_name, error);
-               return error;
-       }
-
-
- retry_child:
-       snprintf(name, sizeof(name), "clnt%x", clntid++);
-       name[sizeof(name) - 1] = '\0';
-
-       clnt->cl_dentry = rpc_mkdir(clnt->__cl_parent_dentry, name, clnt);
-       if (IS_ERR(clnt->cl_dentry)) {
+       for (;;) {
+               snprintf(clnt->cl_pathname, sizeof(clnt->cl_pathname),
+                               "%s/clnt%x", dir_name,
+                               (unsigned int)clntid++);
+               clnt->cl_pathname[sizeof(clnt->cl_pathname) - 1] = '\0';
+               clnt->cl_dentry = rpc_mkdir(clnt->cl_pathname, clnt);
+               if (!IS_ERR(clnt->cl_dentry))
+                       return 0;
                error = PTR_ERR(clnt->cl_dentry);
-               if (error == -EEXIST)
-                       goto retry_child;
-               printk(KERN_INFO "RPC: Couldn't create pipefs entry %s, error %d\n",
-                               name, error);
-               rpc_rmdir(clnt->__cl_parent_dentry);
-               return error;
+               if (error != -EEXIST) {
+                       printk(KERN_INFO "RPC: Couldn't create pipefs entry %s, error %d\n",
+                                       clnt->cl_pathname, error);
+                       return error;
+               }
        }
-
-       return 0;
 }
 
 /*
        return clnt;
 
 out_no_auth:
-       rpc_rmdir(clnt->cl_dentry);
-       rpc_rmdir(clnt->__cl_parent_dentry);
+       rpc_rmdir(clnt->cl_pathname);
 out_no_path:
        if (clnt->cl_server != clnt->cl_inline_name)
                kfree(clnt->cl_server);
                rpc_destroy_client(clnt->cl_parent);
                goto out_free;
        }
-       if (clnt->cl_dentry)
-               rpc_rmdir(clnt->cl_dentry);
-       if (clnt->__cl_parent_dentry)
-               rpc_rmdir(clnt->__cl_parent_dentry);
+       if (clnt->cl_pathname[0])
+               rpc_rmdir(clnt->cl_pathname);
        if (clnt->cl_xprt) {
                xprt_destroy(clnt->cl_xprt);
                clnt->cl_xprt = NULL;
 
        simple_release_fs(&rpc_mount, &rpc_mount_count);
 }
 
+static int
+rpc_lookup_parent(char *path, struct nameidata *nd)
+{
+       if (path[0] == '\0')
+               return -ENOENT;
+       if (rpc_get_mount()) {
+               printk(KERN_WARNING "%s: %s failed to mount "
+                              "pseudofilesystem \n", __FILE__, __FUNCTION__);
+               return -ENODEV;
+       }
+       nd->mnt = mntget(rpc_mount);
+       nd->dentry = dget(rpc_mount->mnt_root);
+       nd->last_type = LAST_ROOT;
+       nd->flags = LOOKUP_PARENT;
+       nd->depth = 0;
+
+       if (path_walk(path, nd)) {
+               printk(KERN_WARNING "%s: %s failed to find path %s\n",
+                               __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, path);
+               rpc_put_mount();
+               return -ENOENT;
+       }
+       return 0;
+}
+
+static void
+rpc_release_path(struct nameidata *nd)
+{
+       path_release(nd);
+       rpc_put_mount();
+}
+
 static struct inode *
 rpc_get_inode(struct super_block *sb, int mode)
 {
        return -ENOMEM;
 }
 
-struct dentry *
-rpc_mkdir(struct dentry *parent, char *name, struct rpc_clnt *rpc_client)
+static int
+__rpc_mkdir(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry)
 {
-       struct inode *dir;
-       struct dentry *dentry;
        struct inode *inode;
+
+       inode = rpc_get_inode(dir->i_sb, S_IFDIR | S_IRUSR | S_IXUSR);
+       if (!inode)
+               goto out_err;
+       inode->i_ino = iunique(dir->i_sb, 100);
+       d_instantiate(dentry, inode);
+       dir->i_nlink++;
+       inode_dir_notify(dir, DN_CREATE);
+       rpc_get_mount();
+       return 0;
+out_err:
+       printk(KERN_WARNING "%s: %s failed to allocate inode for dentry %s\n",
+                       __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, dentry->d_name.name);
+       return -ENOMEM;
+}
+
+static int
+__rpc_rmdir(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry)
+{
        int error;
 
-       if (!parent)
-               parent = rpc_mount->mnt_root;
+       shrink_dcache_parent(dentry);
+       if (dentry->d_inode) {
+               rpc_close_pipes(dentry->d_inode);
+               rpc_inode_setowner(dentry->d_inode, NULL);
+       }
+       if ((error = simple_rmdir(dir, dentry)) != 0)
+               return error;
+       if (!error) {
+               inode_dir_notify(dir, DN_DELETE);
+               d_drop(dentry);
+               rpc_put_mount();
+       }
+       return 0;
+}
 
-       dir = parent->d_inode;
-       
-       error = rpc_get_mount();
-       if (error)
-               return ERR_PTR(error);
+static struct dentry *
+rpc_lookup_negative(char *path, struct nameidata *nd)
+{
+       struct dentry *dentry;
+       struct inode *dir;
+       int error;
 
+       if ((error = rpc_lookup_parent(path, nd)) != 0)
+               return ERR_PTR(error);
+       dir = nd->dentry->d_inode;
        down(&dir->i_sem);
-       dentry = lookup_one_len(name, parent, strlen(name));
+       dentry = lookup_hash(&nd->last, nd->dentry);
        if (IS_ERR(dentry))
-               goto out_unlock;
+               goto out_err;
        if (dentry->d_inode) {
+               dput(dentry);
                dentry = ERR_PTR(-EEXIST);
-               goto out_dput;
+               goto out_err;
        }
-
-       inode = rpc_get_inode(dir->i_sb, S_IFDIR | S_IRUSR | S_IXUSR);
-       if (!inode)
-               goto out_dput;
-       inode->i_ino = iunique(dir->i_sb, 100);
-       dir->i_nlink++;
-       RPC_I(dentry->d_inode)->private = rpc_client;
-
-       d_instantiate(dentry, inode);
-       dget(dentry);
+       return dentry;
+out_err:
        up(&dir->i_sem);
+       rpc_release_path(nd);
+       return dentry;
+}
 
-       inode_dir_notify(dir, DN_CREATE);
 
+struct dentry *
+rpc_mkdir(char *path, struct rpc_clnt *rpc_client)
+{
+       struct nameidata nd;
+       struct dentry *dentry;
+       struct inode *dir;
+       int error;
+
+       dentry = rpc_lookup_negative(path, &nd);
+       if (IS_ERR(dentry))
+               return dentry;
+       dir = nd.dentry->d_inode;
+       if ((error = __rpc_mkdir(dir, dentry)) != 0)
+               goto err_dput;
+       RPC_I(dentry->d_inode)->private = rpc_client;
        error = rpc_populate(dentry, authfiles,
                        RPCAUTH_info, RPCAUTH_EOF);
        if (error)
-               goto out_depopulate;
-
-       return dentry;
-
- out_depopulate:
-       rpc_rmdir(dentry);
- out_dput:
-       dput(dentry);
- out_unlock:
+               goto err_depopulate;
+out:
        up(&dir->i_sem);
-       rpc_put_mount();
+       rpc_release_path(&nd);
        return dentry;
+err_depopulate:
+       rpc_depopulate(dentry);
+       __rpc_rmdir(dir, dentry);
+err_dput:
+       dput(dentry);
+       printk(KERN_WARNING "%s: %s() failed to create directory %s (errno = %d)\n",
+                       __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, path, error);
+       dentry = ERR_PTR(error);
+       goto out;
 }
 
-void
-rpc_rmdir(struct dentry *dentry)
+int
+rpc_rmdir(char *path)
 {
-       struct dentry *parent = dentry->d_parent;
-
-       rpc_depopulate(dentry);
+       struct nameidata nd;
+       struct dentry *dentry;
+       struct inode *dir;
+       int error;
 
-       down(&parent->d_inode->i_sem);
-       if (dentry->d_inode) {
-               rpc_close_pipes(dentry->d_inode);
-               rpc_inode_setowner(dentry->d_inode, NULL);
-               simple_rmdir(parent->d_inode, dentry);
+       if ((error = rpc_lookup_parent(path, &nd)) != 0)
+               return error;
+       dir = nd.dentry->d_inode;
+       down(&dir->i_sem);
+       dentry = lookup_hash(&nd.last, nd.dentry);
+       if (IS_ERR(dentry)) {
+               error = PTR_ERR(dentry);
+               goto out_release;
        }
-       up(&parent->d_inode->i_sem);
-
-       inode_dir_notify(parent->d_inode, DN_DELETE);
-       rpc_put_mount();
+       rpc_depopulate(dentry);
+       error = __rpc_rmdir(dir, dentry);
+       dput(dentry);
+out_release:
+       up(&dir->i_sem);
+       rpc_release_path(&nd);
+       return error;
 }
 
 struct dentry *
-rpc_mkpipe(struct dentry *parent, char *name, void *private,
-          struct rpc_pipe_ops *ops, int flags)
+rpc_mkpipe(char *path, void *private, struct rpc_pipe_ops *ops, int flags)
 {
-       struct inode *dir = parent->d_inode;
+       struct nameidata nd;
        struct dentry *dentry;
-       struct inode *inode;
+       struct inode *dir, *inode;
        struct rpc_inode *rpci;
-       int error;
-
-       error = rpc_get_mount();
-       if (error)
-               return ERR_PTR(error);
 
-       down(&parent->d_inode->i_sem);
-       dentry = lookup_one_len(name, parent, strlen(name));
+       dentry = rpc_lookup_negative(path, &nd);
        if (IS_ERR(dentry))
-               goto out_unlock;
-       if (dentry->d_inode) {
-               dentry = ERR_PTR(-EEXIST);
-               goto out_dput;
-       }
-
-       inode = rpc_get_inode(parent->d_inode->i_sb,
-                       S_IFSOCK | S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR);
-       if (!inode) {
-               dentry = ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
-               goto out_dput;
-       }
-
+               return dentry;
+       dir = nd.dentry->d_inode;
+       inode = rpc_get_inode(dir->i_sb, S_IFSOCK | S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR);
+       if (!inode)
+               goto err_dput;
        inode->i_ino = iunique(dir->i_sb, 100);
        inode->i_fop = &rpc_pipe_fops;
-
+       d_instantiate(dentry, inode);
        rpci = RPC_I(inode);
        rpci->private = private;
        rpci->flags = flags;
        rpci->ops = ops;
-
-       d_instantiate(dentry, inode);
-       dget(dentry);
-       up(&parent->d_inode->i_sem);
-
        inode_dir_notify(dir, DN_CREATE);
+out:
+       up(&dir->i_sem);
+       rpc_release_path(&nd);
        return dentry;
-
- out_dput:
+err_dput:
        dput(dentry);
- out_unlock:
-       up(&parent->d_inode->i_sem);
-       rpc_put_mount();
-       return dentry;
+       dentry = ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+       printk(KERN_WARNING "%s: %s() failed to create pipe %s (errno = %d)\n",
+                       __FILE__, __FUNCTION__, path, -ENOMEM);
+       goto out;
 }
 
-void
-rpc_unlink(struct dentry *dentry)
+int
+rpc_unlink(char *path)
 {
-       struct dentry *parent = dentry->d_parent;
+       struct nameidata nd;
+       struct dentry *dentry;
+       struct inode *dir;
+       int error;
 
-       down(&parent->d_inode->i_sem);
+       if ((error = rpc_lookup_parent(path, &nd)) != 0)
+               return error;
+       dir = nd.dentry->d_inode;
+       down(&dir->i_sem);
+       dentry = lookup_hash(&nd.last, nd.dentry);
+       if (IS_ERR(dentry)) {
+               error = PTR_ERR(dentry);
+               goto out_release;
+       }
+       d_drop(dentry);
        if (dentry->d_inode) {
                rpc_close_pipes(dentry->d_inode);
                rpc_inode_setowner(dentry->d_inode, NULL);
-               simple_unlink(parent->d_inode, dentry);
+               error = simple_unlink(dir, dentry);
        }
-       up(&parent->d_inode->i_sem);
-
-       inode_dir_notify(parent->d_inode, DN_DELETE);
-       rpc_put_mount();
+       dput(dentry);
+       inode_dir_notify(dir, DN_DELETE);
+out_release:
+       up(&dir->i_sem);
+       rpc_release_path(&nd);
+       return error;
 }
 
 /*