diff --git a/fs/nfs/idmap.c b/fs/nfs/idmap.c
index f96dfac7dc9a..82ad7110a1c0 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/idmap.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/idmap.c
@@ -84,7 +84,6 @@ struct idmap_hashtable {
 };
 
 struct idmap {
-	char                  idmap_path[48];
 	struct dentry        *idmap_dentry;
 	wait_queue_head_t     idmap_wq;
 	struct idmap_msg      idmap_im;
@@ -119,10 +118,7 @@ nfs_idmap_new(struct nfs_client *clp)
         if ((idmap = kzalloc(sizeof(*idmap), GFP_KERNEL)) == NULL)
                 return -ENOMEM;
 
-	snprintf(idmap->idmap_path, sizeof(idmap->idmap_path),
-	    "%s/idmap", clp->cl_rpcclient->cl_pathname);
-
-        idmap->idmap_dentry = rpc_mkpipe(idmap->idmap_path,
+        idmap->idmap_dentry = rpc_mkpipe(clp->cl_rpcclient->cl_dentry, "idmap",
 	    idmap, &idmap_upcall_ops, 0);
         if (IS_ERR(idmap->idmap_dentry)) {
 		error = PTR_ERR(idmap->idmap_dentry);
diff --git a/include/linux/sunrpc/rpc_pipe_fs.h b/include/linux/sunrpc/rpc_pipe_fs.h
index a481472c9484..a2eb9b4a9de3 100644
--- a/include/linux/sunrpc/rpc_pipe_fs.h
+++ b/include/linux/sunrpc/rpc_pipe_fs.h
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ extern int rpc_queue_upcall(struct inode *, struct rpc_pipe_msg *);
 
 extern struct dentry *rpc_mkdir(char *, struct rpc_clnt *);
 extern int rpc_rmdir(struct dentry *);
-extern struct dentry *rpc_mkpipe(char *, void *, struct rpc_pipe_ops *, int flags);
+extern struct dentry *rpc_mkpipe(struct dentry *, const char *, void *, struct rpc_pipe_ops *, int flags);
 extern int rpc_unlink(struct dentry *);
 extern struct vfsmount *rpc_get_mount(void);
 extern void rpc_put_mount(void);
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/auth_gss.c b/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/auth_gss.c
index ef1cf5b476c8..6eed3e166ba3 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/auth_gss.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/auth_gss.c
@@ -88,7 +88,6 @@ struct gss_auth {
 	struct list_head upcalls;
 	struct rpc_clnt *client;
 	struct dentry *dentry;
-	char path[48];
 	spinlock_t lock;
 };
 
@@ -690,10 +689,8 @@ gss_create(struct rpc_clnt *clnt, rpc_authflavor_t flavor)
 	if (err)
 		goto err_put_mech;
 
-	snprintf(gss_auth->path, sizeof(gss_auth->path), "%s/%s",
-			clnt->cl_pathname,
-			gss_auth->mech->gm_name);
-	gss_auth->dentry = rpc_mkpipe(gss_auth->path, clnt, &gss_upcall_ops, RPC_PIPE_WAIT_FOR_OPEN);
+	gss_auth->dentry = rpc_mkpipe(clnt->cl_dentry, gss_auth->mech->gm_name,
+			clnt, &gss_upcall_ops, RPC_PIPE_WAIT_FOR_OPEN);
 	if (IS_ERR(gss_auth->dentry)) {
 		err = PTR_ERR(gss_auth->dentry);
 		goto err_put_mech;
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/rpc_pipe.c b/net/sunrpc/rpc_pipe.c
index c21dc07f2a8c..11ec12a09d70 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/rpc_pipe.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/rpc_pipe.c
@@ -621,17 +621,13 @@ __rpc_rmdir(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry)
 }
 
 static struct dentry *
-rpc_lookup_negative(char *path, struct nameidata *nd)
+rpc_lookup_create(struct dentry *parent, const char *name, int len)
 {
+	struct inode *dir = parent->d_inode;
 	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;
 	mutex_lock_nested(&dir->i_mutex, I_MUTEX_PARENT);
-	dentry = lookup_one_len(nd->last.name, nd->dentry, nd->last.len);
+	dentry = lookup_one_len(name, parent, len);
 	if (IS_ERR(dentry))
 		goto out_err;
 	if (dentry->d_inode) {
@@ -642,7 +638,20 @@ rpc_lookup_negative(char *path, struct nameidata *nd)
 	return dentry;
 out_err:
 	mutex_unlock(&dir->i_mutex);
-	rpc_release_path(nd);
+	return dentry;
+}
+
+static struct dentry *
+rpc_lookup_negative(char *path, struct nameidata *nd)
+{
+	struct dentry *dentry;
+	int error;
+
+	if ((error = rpc_lookup_parent(path, nd)) != 0)
+		return ERR_PTR(error);
+	dentry = rpc_lookup_create(nd->dentry, nd->last.name, nd->last.len);
+	if (IS_ERR(dentry))
+		rpc_release_path(nd);
 	return dentry;
 }
 
@@ -701,17 +710,16 @@ rpc_rmdir(struct dentry *dentry)
 }
 
 struct dentry *
-rpc_mkpipe(char *path, void *private, struct rpc_pipe_ops *ops, int flags)
+rpc_mkpipe(struct dentry *parent, const char *name, void *private, struct rpc_pipe_ops *ops, int flags)
 {
-	struct nameidata nd;
 	struct dentry *dentry;
 	struct inode *dir, *inode;
 	struct rpc_inode *rpci;
 
-	dentry = rpc_lookup_negative(path, &nd);
+	dentry = rpc_lookup_create(parent, name, strlen(name));
 	if (IS_ERR(dentry))
 		return dentry;
-	dir = nd.dentry->d_inode;
+	dir = parent->d_inode;
 	inode = rpc_get_inode(dir->i_sb, S_IFSOCK | S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR);
 	if (!inode)
 		goto err_dput;
@@ -726,13 +734,13 @@ rpc_mkpipe(char *path, void *private, struct rpc_pipe_ops *ops, int flags)
 	dget(dentry);
 out:
 	mutex_unlock(&dir->i_mutex);
-	rpc_release_path(&nd);
 	return dentry;
 err_dput:
 	dput(dentry);
 	dentry = ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
-	printk(KERN_WARNING "%s: %s() failed to create pipe %s (errno = %d)\n",
-			__FILE__, __FUNCTION__, path, -ENOMEM);
+	printk(KERN_WARNING "%s: %s() failed to create pipe %s/%s (errno = %d)\n",
+			__FILE__, __FUNCTION__, parent->d_name.name, name,
+			-ENOMEM);
 	goto out;
 }