diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/mdc/mdc_request.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/mdc/mdc_request.c
index 6023c2c1386b..5f1ac58c6fe2 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/mdc/mdc_request.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/mdc/mdc_request.c
@@ -2314,12 +2314,14 @@ static int mdc_setup(struct obd_device *obd, struct lustre_cfg *cfg)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	mdc_init_rpc_lock(cli->cl_rpc_lock);
 
-	ptlrpcd_addref();
+	rc = ptlrpcd_addref();
+	if (rc < 0)
+		goto err_rpc_lock;
 
 	cli->cl_close_lock = kzalloc(sizeof(*cli->cl_close_lock), GFP_NOFS);
 	if (!cli->cl_close_lock) {
 		rc = -ENOMEM;
-		goto err_rpc_lock;
+		goto err_ptlrpcd_decref;
 	}
 	mdc_init_rpc_lock(cli->cl_close_lock);
 
@@ -2345,9 +2347,10 @@ static int mdc_setup(struct obd_device *obd, struct lustre_cfg *cfg)
 
 err_close_lock:
 	kfree(cli->cl_close_lock);
+err_ptlrpcd_decref:
+	ptlrpcd_decref();
 err_rpc_lock:
 	kfree(cli->cl_rpc_lock);
-	ptlrpcd_decref();
 	return rc;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/mgc/mgc_request.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/mgc/mgc_request.c
index 0c3bd1648a88..933f6f628350 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/mgc/mgc_request.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/mgc/mgc_request.c
@@ -734,7 +734,9 @@ static int mgc_setup(struct obd_device *obd, struct lustre_cfg *lcfg)
 	struct task_struct *task;
 	int rc;
 
-	ptlrpcd_addref();
+	rc = ptlrpcd_addref();
+	if (rc < 0)
+		goto err_noref;
 
 	rc = client_obd_setup(obd, lcfg);
 	if (rc)
@@ -773,6 +775,7 @@ err_cleanup:
 	client_obd_cleanup(obd);
 err_decref:
 	ptlrpcd_decref();
+err_noref:
 	return rc;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/ptlrpcd.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/ptlrpcd.c
index dbc3376328cd..76a355a9db8b 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/ptlrpcd.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/ptlrpc/ptlrpcd.c
@@ -909,8 +909,11 @@ int ptlrpcd_addref(void)
 	int rc = 0;
 
 	mutex_lock(&ptlrpcd_mutex);
-	if (++ptlrpcd_users == 1)
+	if (++ptlrpcd_users == 1) {
 		rc = ptlrpcd_init();
+		if (rc < 0)
+			ptlrpcd_users--;
+	}
 	mutex_unlock(&ptlrpcd_mutex);
 	return rc;
 }