@@ -280,9 +280,7 @@ nfsd_file_free(struct nfsd_file *nf)
 		nfsd_file_mark_put(nf->nf_mark);
 	if (nf->nf_file) {
 		nfsd_file_check_write_error(nf);
-		get_file(nf->nf_file);
-		filp_close(nf->nf_file, NULL);
-		__fput_sync(nf->nf_file);
+		nfsd_filp_close(nf->nf_file);
 	}
 
 	/*

@@ -2141,11 +2141,43 @@ nfsd_readdir(struct svc_rqst *rqstp, struct svc_fh *fhp, loff_t *offsetp,
 	if (err == nfserr_eof || err == nfserr_toosmall)
 		err = nfs_ok; /* can still be found in ->err */
 out_close:
-	__fput_sync(file);
+	nfsd_filp_close(file);
 out:
 	return err;
 }
 
+/**
+ * nfsd_filp_close: close a file synchronously
+ * @fp: the file to close
+ *
+ * nfsd_filp_close() is similar in behaviour to filp_close().
+ * The difference is that if this is the final close on the
+ * file, the that finalisation happens immediately, rather then
+ * being handed over to a work_queue, as it the case for
+ * filp_close().
+ * When a user-space process closes a file (even when using
+ * filp_close() the finalisation happens before returning to
+ * userspace, so it is effectively synchronous.  When a kernel thread
+ * uses file_close(), on the other hand, the handling is completely
+ * asynchronous.  This means that any cost imposed by that finalisation
+ * is not imposed on the nfsd thread, and nfsd could potentually
+ * close files more quickly than the work queue finalises the close,
+ * which would lead to unbounded growth in the queue.
+ *
+ * In some contexts is it not safe to synchronously wait for
+ * close finalisation (see comment for __fput_sync()), but nfsd
+ * does not match those contexts.  In partcilarly it does not, at the
+ * time that this function is called, hold and locks and no finalisation
+ * of any file, socket, or device driver would have any cause to wait
+ * for nfsd to make progress.
+ */
+void nfsd_filp_close(struct file *fp)
+{
+	get_file(fp);
+	filp_close(fp, NULL);
+	__fput_sync(fp);
+}
+
 /*
  * Get file system stats
  * N.B. After this call fhp needs an fh_put

@@ -147,6 +147,8 @@ __be32		nfsd_statfs(struct svc_rqst *, struct svc_fh *,
 __be32		nfsd_permission(struct svc_rqst *, struct svc_export *,
 				struct dentry *, int);
 
+void		nfsd_filp_close(struct file *fp);
+
 static inline int fh_want_write(struct svc_fh *fh)
 {
 	int ret;