diff --git a/fs/sharefs/dentry.c b/fs/sharefs/dentry.c
index 29d0f2e685db87eb91ec82c3a49dbf3002f25912..dee29cace6b751a5cd29b648bb5024bc53e96714 100644
--- a/fs/sharefs/dentry.c
+++ b/fs/sharefs/dentry.c
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ static void sharefs_d_release(struct dentry *dentry)
 	 */
 	if (SHAREFS_D(dentry)) {
 		/* release and reset the lower paths */
+		sharefs_put_reset_lower_path(dentry);
 		free_dentry_private_data(dentry);
 	}
 	return;
diff --git a/fs/sharefs/file.c b/fs/sharefs/file.c
index 21f240303e3beb1bc51734fe4cd6c1cc38bfd55c..f04963d57a4a6b8896393ade9d80d59cae885ff9 100644
--- a/fs/sharefs/file.c
+++ b/fs/sharefs/file.c
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ static int sharefs_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
 	int err = 0;
 	struct file *lower_file = NULL;
 	struct path lower_path;
-	struct inode *lower_inode = NULL;
 
 	/* don't open unhashed/deleted files */
 	if (d_unhashed(file->f_path.dentry)) {
@@ -67,13 +66,7 @@ static int sharefs_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
 		kuid_t uid = inode->i_uid;
 		kgid_t gid = inode->i_gid;
 		mode_t mode = inode->i_mode;
-		lower_inode = sharefs_get_lower_inode(file->f_path.dentry);
-		if (IS_ERR(lower_inode)) {
-			err = PTR_ERR(lower_inode);
-			goto out_err;
-		}
-		fsstack_copy_attr_all(inode, lower_inode);
-		iput(lower_inode);
+		fsstack_copy_attr_all(inode, sharefs_lower_inode(inode));
 		inode->i_uid = uid;
 		inode->i_gid = gid;
 		inode->i_mode = mode;
diff --git a/fs/sharefs/inode.c b/fs/sharefs/inode.c
index e56a90f847b23d807eb0795f7c8fb50d617709c2..d0964f74433839e937128f7349951111633faa73 100644
--- a/fs/sharefs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/sharefs/inode.c
@@ -14,39 +14,6 @@
 #include "authentication.h"
 #endif
 
-struct inode *sharefs_get_lower_inode(struct dentry *d)
-{
-	int err = 0;
-	struct path lower_path;
-	struct path lower_parent_dentry;
-	struct inode *lower_inode;
-	struct dentry *parent;
-
-	parent = dget_parent(d);
-	sharefs_get_lower_path(parent, &lower_parent_dentry);
-	err = vfs_path_lookup(lower_parent_dentry.dentry, lower_parent_dentry.mnt, 
-			      d->d_name.name, 0, &lower_path);
-	if (err)
-		goto out;
-
-	lower_inode = d_inode(lower_path.dentry);
-	if (!lower_inode) {
-		err = -ENOENT;
-	} else if (lower_inode->i_flags & S_DEAD) {
-		err = -ENOENT;
-	} else if (!igrab(lower_inode)) {
-		err = -ESTALE;
-	}
-
-	sharefs_put_lower_path(d, &lower_path);
-out:
-	sharefs_put_lower_path(parent, &lower_parent_dentry);
-	dput(parent);
-	if (err)
-		return ERR_PTR(err);
-	return lower_inode;
-}
-
 static const char *sharefs_get_link(struct dentry *dentry, struct inode *inode,
 				   struct delayed_call *done)
 {
@@ -118,10 +85,6 @@ static ssize_t sharefs_listxattr(struct dentry *dentry, char *buffer, size_t buf
 
 	sharefs_get_lower_path(dentry, &lower_path);
 	lower_dentry = lower_path.dentry;
-	if (d_inode(lower_dentry)->i_flags & S_DEAD) {
-		err = -ENOENT;
-		goto out;
-	}
 	if (!(d_inode(lower_dentry)->i_opflags & IOP_XATTR)) {
 		err = -EOPNOTSUPP;
 		goto out;
@@ -166,7 +129,6 @@ static int sharefs_create(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 	struct dentry *lower_parent_dentry = NULL;
 	struct path lower_path;
 	const struct cred *saved_cred = NULL;
-	struct inode *lower_inode = NULL;
 	__u16 child_perm;
 
 	saved_cred = sharefs_override_file_fsids(dir, &child_perm);
@@ -185,14 +147,8 @@ static int sharefs_create(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 	err = sharefs_interpose(dentry, dir->i_sb, &lower_path);
 	if (err)
 		goto out;
-	lower_inode = sharefs_get_lower_inode(dentry);
-	if (IS_ERR(lower_inode)) {
-		err = PTR_ERR(lower_inode);
-		goto out;
-	}
-	fsstack_copy_attr_times(dir, lower_inode);
+	fsstack_copy_attr_times(dir, sharefs_lower_inode(dir));
 	fsstack_copy_inode_size(dir, d_inode(lower_parent_dentry));
-	iput(lower_inode);
 
 out:
 	unlock_dir(lower_parent_dentry);
@@ -208,7 +164,6 @@ static int sharefs_mkdir(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry, umode_t mode)
 	struct dentry *lower_parent_dentry = NULL;
 	struct path lower_path;
 	const struct cred *saved_cred = NULL;
-	struct inode *lower_inode = NULL;
 	__u16 child_perm;
 
 	saved_cred = sharefs_override_file_fsids(dir, &child_perm);
@@ -227,16 +182,11 @@ static int sharefs_mkdir(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry, umode_t mode)
 	err = sharefs_interpose(dentry, dir->i_sb, &lower_path);
 	if (err)
 		goto out;
-	lower_inode = sharefs_get_lower_inode(dentry);
-	if (IS_ERR(lower_inode)) {
-		err = PTR_ERR(lower_inode);
-		goto out;
-	}
-	fsstack_copy_attr_times(dir, lower_inode);
+
+	fsstack_copy_attr_times(dir, sharefs_lower_inode(dir));
 	fsstack_copy_inode_size(dir, d_inode(lower_parent_dentry));
 	/* update number of links on parent directory */
-	set_nlink(dir, lower_inode->i_nlink);
-	iput(lower_inode);
+	set_nlink(dir, sharefs_lower_inode(dir)->i_nlink);
 
 out:
 	unlock_dir(lower_parent_dentry);
@@ -249,38 +199,24 @@ static int sharefs_unlink(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry)
 {
 	int err;
 	struct dentry *lower_dentry = NULL;
-	struct inode *lower_dir_inode = NULL;
-	struct inode *lower_inode = NULL;
+	struct inode *lower_dir_inode = sharefs_lower_inode(dir);
 	struct dentry *lower_dir_dentry = NULL;
 	struct path lower_path;
 
-	lower_dir_inode = sharefs_get_lower_inode(dentry->d_parent);
-	if (IS_ERR(lower_dir_inode)) {
-		err = PTR_ERR(lower_dir_inode);
-		goto out;
-	}
-	lower_inode = sharefs_get_lower_inode(dentry);
-	if (IS_ERR(lower_inode)) {
-		err = PTR_ERR(lower_inode);
-		goto put_dir;
-	}
 	sharefs_get_lower_path(dentry, &lower_path);
 	lower_dentry = lower_path.dentry;
 	dget(lower_dentry);
 	lower_dir_dentry = lock_parent(lower_dentry);
 	err = vfs_unlink(lower_dir_inode, lower_dentry, NULL);
 	if (err)
-		goto put;
+		goto out;
 	fsstack_copy_attr_times(dir, lower_dir_inode);
 	fsstack_copy_inode_size(dir, lower_dir_inode);
-	set_nlink(dentry->d_inode, lower_inode->i_nlink);
+	set_nlink(dentry->d_inode,
+		  sharefs_lower_inode(dentry->d_inode)->i_nlink);
 	dentry->d_inode->i_ctime = dir->i_ctime;
 	d_drop(dentry);
 
-put:
-	iput(lower_dir_inode);
-put_dir:
-	iput(lower_inode);
 out:
 	unlock_dir(lower_dir_dentry);
 	dput(lower_dentry);
@@ -377,7 +313,7 @@ static int sharefs_setattr(struct dentry *dentry, struct iattr *ia)
 	int err;
 	struct dentry *lower_dentry;
 	struct inode *inode;
-	struct inode *lower_inode = NULL;
+	struct inode *lower_inode;
 	struct path lower_path;
 	struct iattr lower_ia;
 	
@@ -394,11 +330,7 @@ static int sharefs_setattr(struct dentry *dentry, struct iattr *ia)
 
 	sharefs_get_lower_path(dentry, &lower_path);
 	lower_dentry = lower_path.dentry;
-	lower_dentry = sharefs_get_lower_inode(dentry);
-	if (IS_ERR(lower_dentry)) {
-		err = PTR_ERR(lower_dentry);
-		goto out_err;
-	}
+	lower_inode = sharefs_lower_inode(inode);
 
 	/* prepare our own lower struct iattr (with the lower file) */
 	memcpy(&lower_ia, ia, sizeof(lower_ia));
@@ -451,7 +383,6 @@ static int sharefs_setattr(struct dentry *dentry, struct iattr *ia)
 	 */
 
 out:
-	iput(lower_inode);
 	sharefs_put_lower_path(dentry, &lower_path);
 out_err:
 	return err;
diff --git a/fs/sharefs/lookup.c b/fs/sharefs/lookup.c
index 72e2c9768fc5d7f0555f906a21c37376a373029e..0b0c30ef46f12aa9e22c49ebe7cee8ca5efd9875 100644
--- a/fs/sharefs/lookup.c
+++ b/fs/sharefs/lookup.c
@@ -141,7 +141,6 @@ struct inode *sharefs_iget(struct super_block *sb, struct inode *lower_inode)
 	fsstack_copy_inode_size(inode, lower_inode);
 
 	unlock_new_inode(inode);
-	iput(lower_inode);
 	return inode;
 }
 
@@ -215,7 +214,7 @@ static struct dentry *__sharefs_lookup(struct dentry *dentry,
 	d_set_d_op(dentry, &sharefs_dops);
 
 	if (IS_ROOT(dentry))
-		return NULL;
+		goto out;
 
 	name = dentry->d_name.name;
 
@@ -283,7 +282,6 @@ static struct dentry *__sharefs_lookup(struct dentry *dentry,
 out:
 	if (err)
 		return ERR_PTR(err);
-	sharefs_put_lower_path(dentry, &lower_path);
 	return ret_dentry;
 }
 
diff --git a/fs/sharefs/sharefs.h b/fs/sharefs/sharefs.h
index 114c40cdb875dff28f7cf652df2dcd23d3f4985d..143f047b235f340d0d8122e34ec3b15b9d5ddf6f 100644
--- a/fs/sharefs/sharefs.h
+++ b/fs/sharefs/sharefs.h
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@ extern int vfs_path_lookup(struct dentry *dentry, struct vfsmount *mnt,
 			   struct path *path);
 extern int sharefs_parse_options(struct sharefs_sb_info *sbi,
 				 const char *data);
-extern struct inode *sharefs_get_lower_inode(struct dentry *d);
 
 /*
  * inode to private data
diff --git a/fs/sharefs/super.c b/fs/sharefs/super.c
index ef6437c9e455b9726b2a29375897a2ea79f6aa5c..bbe65944647fd611c2aea433b7228f03eeab8e89 100644
--- a/fs/sharefs/super.c
+++ b/fs/sharefs/super.c
@@ -117,13 +117,17 @@ static int sharefs_statfs(struct dentry *dentry, struct kstatfs *buf)
  */
 static void sharefs_evict_inode(struct inode *inode)
 {
+	struct inode *lower_inode;
+
 	truncate_inode_pages(&inode->i_data, 0);
 	clear_inode(inode);
 	/*
 	 * Decrement a reference to a lower_inode, which was incremented
 	 * by our read_inode when it was created initially.
 	 */
+	lower_inode = sharefs_lower_inode(inode);
 	sharefs_set_lower_inode(inode, NULL);
+	iput(lower_inode);
 }
 
 void __sharefs_log(const char *level, const bool ratelimited,