diff -ru linux-2.9.13/fs/devfs/base.c linux/fs/devfs/base.c
--- linux-2.9.13/fs/devfs/base.c	Thu Oct 11 08:23:24 2001
+++ linux/fs/devfs/base.c	Thu Oct 25 00:02:34 2001
@@ -669,6 +669,8 @@
 
 struct symlink_type
 {
+    atomic_t refcount;           /*  When this drops to zero, it's unused    */
+    rwlock_t lock;               /*  Lock around the registered flag         */
     unsigned int length;         /*  Not including the NULL-termimator       */
     char *linkname;              /*  This is NULL-terminated                 */
 };
@@ -758,8 +760,6 @@
 static unsigned int boot_options = OPTION_NONE;
 #endif
 
-static DECLARE_RWSEM (symlink_rwsem);
-
 /*  Forward function declarations  */
 static struct devfs_entry *search_for_entry (struct devfs_entry *dir,
 					     const char *name,
@@ -817,10 +817,19 @@
     if (curr == NULL) return NULL;
     if (!S_ISLNK (curr->mode) || !traverse_symlink) return curr;
     /*  Need to follow the link: this is a stack chomper  */
-    retval = curr->registered ?
-	search_for_entry (parent, curr->u.symlink.linkname,
-			  curr->u.symlink.length, FALSE, FALSE, NULL,
-			  TRUE) : NULL;
+    read_lock (&curr->u.symlink.lock);
+    if (!curr->registered)
+    {
+       read_unlock (&curr->u.symlink.lock);
+       return NULL;
+    }
+    atomic_inc (&curr->u.symlink.refcount);
+    read_unlock (&curr->u.symlink.lock);
+    retval = search_for_entry (parent, curr->u.symlink.linkname,
+                              curr->u.symlink.length, FALSE, FALSE, NULL,
+                              TRUE);
+    if ( atomic_dec_and_test (&curr->u.symlink.refcount) )
+       kfree (curr->u.symlink.linkname);
     return retval;
 }   /*  End Function search_for_entry_in_dir  */
 
@@ -1090,10 +1099,8 @@
 	    ++name;
 	    --namelen;
 	}
-	if (traverse_symlink) down_read (&symlink_rwsem);
 	entry = search_for_entry (dir, name, namelen, FALSE, FALSE, NULL,
 				  traverse_symlink);
-	if (traverse_symlink) up_read (&symlink_rwsem);
 	if (entry != NULL) return entry;
     }
     /*  Have to search by major and minor: slow  */
@@ -1439,11 +1446,11 @@
     }
     if (S_ISLNK (de->mode) && de->registered)
     {
-	de->registered = FALSE;
-	down_write (&symlink_rwsem);
-	if (de->u.symlink.linkname) kfree (de->u.symlink.linkname);
-	de->u.symlink.linkname = NULL;
-	up_write (&symlink_rwsem);
+        write_lock (&de->u.symlink.lock);
+        de->registered = FALSE;
+        write_unlock (&de->u.symlink.lock);
+        if ( atomic_dec_and_test (&de->u.symlink.refcount) )
+          kfree (de->u.symlink.linkname);
 	return;
     }
     if ( S_ISFIFO (de->mode) )
@@ -1523,10 +1530,8 @@
 	kfree (newlink);
 	return -ENOMEM;
     }
-    down_write (&symlink_rwsem);
     if (de->registered)
     {
-	up_write (&symlink_rwsem);
 	kfree (newlink);
 	printk ("%s: devfs_do_symlink(%s): entry already exists\n",
 		DEVFS_NAME, name);
@@ -1537,8 +1542,9 @@
     de->hide = (flags & DEVFS_FL_HIDE) ? TRUE : FALSE;
     de->u.symlink.linkname = newlink;
     de->u.symlink.length = linklength;
+    atomic_set (&de->u.symlink.refcount, 1);
+    rwlock_init (&de->u.symlink.lock);
     de->registered = TRUE;
-    up_write (&symlink_rwsem);
     if (handle != NULL) *handle = de;
     return 0;
 }   /*  End Function devfs_do_symlink  */
@@ -2808,15 +2814,16 @@
     if (de == NULL) return -ENOENT;
     devfsd_notify_one (de, DEVFSD_NOTIFY_DELETE, inode->i_mode,
 		       inode->i_uid, inode->i_gid, dir->i_sb->u.generic_sbp);
-    de->registered = FALSE;
-    de->hide = TRUE;
     if ( S_ISLNK (de->mode) )
     {
-	down_write (&symlink_rwsem);
-	if (de->u.symlink.linkname) kfree (de->u.symlink.linkname);
-	de->u.symlink.linkname = NULL;
-	up_write (&symlink_rwsem);
+       write_lock (&de->u.symlink.lock);
+       de->registered = FALSE;
+       write_unlock (&de->u.symlink.lock);
+       if ( atomic_dec_and_test (&de->u.symlink.refcount) )
+           kfree (de->u.symlink.linkname);
     }
+    else de->registered = FALSE;
+    de->hide = TRUE;
     free_dentries (de);
     return 0;
 }   /*  End Function devfs_unlink  */
@@ -3018,10 +3025,17 @@
 
     de = get_devfs_entry_from_vfs_inode (dentry->d_inode, TRUE);
     if (!de) return -ENODEV;
-    down_read (&symlink_rwsem);
-    err = de->registered ? vfs_readlink (dentry, buffer, buflen,
-					 de->u.symlink.linkname) : -ENODEV;
-    up_read (&symlink_rwsem);
+    read_lock (&de->u.symlink.lock);
+    if (!de->registered)
+    {
+       read_unlock (&de->u.symlink.lock);
+       return -ENODEV;
+    }
+    atomic_inc (&de->u.symlink.refcount);
+    read_unlock (&de->u.symlink.lock);
+    err = vfs_readlink (dentry, buffer, buflen, de->u.symlink.linkname);
+    if ( atomic_dec_and_test (&de->u.symlink.refcount) )
+       kfree (de->u.symlink.linkname);
     return err;
 }   /*  End Function devfs_readlink  */
 
@@ -3032,10 +3046,17 @@
 
     de = get_devfs_entry_from_vfs_inode (dentry->d_inode, TRUE);
     if (!de) return -ENODEV;
-    down_read (&symlink_rwsem);
-    err = de->registered ? vfs_follow_link (nd,
-					    de->u.symlink.linkname) : -ENODEV;
-    up_read (&symlink_rwsem);
+    read_lock (&de->u.symlink.lock);
+    if (!de->registered)
+    {
+       read_unlock (&de->u.symlink.lock);
+       return -ENODEV;
+    }
+    atomic_inc (&de->u.symlink.refcount);
+    read_unlock (&de->u.symlink.lock);
+    err = vfs_follow_link (nd, de->u.symlink.linkname);
+    if ( atomic_dec_and_test (&de->u.symlink.refcount) )
+       kfree (de->u.symlink.linkname);
     return err;
 }   /*  End Function devfs_follow_link  */