diff --git a/drivers/block/nbd.c b/drivers/block/nbd.c
index 57c4053e957dadfa2c85813c7a740c350e7eb6fc..c073d6c1576dd3b2119fb2e808a428c966e7d08f 100644
--- a/drivers/block/nbd.c
+++ b/drivers/block/nbd.c
@@ -389,6 +389,22 @@ static u32 req_to_nbd_cmd_type(struct request *req)
 	}
 }
 
+static struct nbd_config *nbd_get_config_unlocked(struct nbd_device *nbd)
+{
+	if (refcount_inc_not_zero(&nbd->config_refs)) {
+		/*
+		 * Add smp_mb__after_atomic to ensure that reading nbd->config_refs
+		 * and reading nbd->config is ordered. The pair is the barrier in
+		 * nbd_alloc_and_init_config(), avoid nbd->config_refs is set
+		 * before nbd->config.
+		 */
+		smp_mb__after_atomic();
+		return nbd->config;
+	}
+
+	return NULL;
+}
+
 static enum blk_eh_timer_return nbd_xmit_timeout(struct request *req,
 						 bool reserved)
 {
@@ -404,13 +420,13 @@ static enum blk_eh_timer_return nbd_xmit_timeout(struct request *req,
 		return BLK_EH_DONE;
 	}
 
-	if (!refcount_inc_not_zero(&nbd->config_refs)) {
+	config = nbd_get_config_unlocked(nbd);
+	if (!config) {
 		cmd->status = BLK_STS_TIMEOUT;
 		__clear_bit(NBD_CMD_INFLIGHT, &cmd->flags);
 		mutex_unlock(&cmd->lock);
 		goto done;
 	}
-	config = nbd->config;
 
 	if (config->num_connections > 1 ||
 	    (config->num_connections == 1 && nbd->tag_set.timeout)) {
@@ -969,12 +985,12 @@ static int nbd_handle_cmd(struct nbd_cmd *cmd, int index)
 	struct nbd_sock *nsock;
 	int ret;
 
-	if (!refcount_inc_not_zero(&nbd->config_refs)) {
+	config = nbd_get_config_unlocked(nbd);
+	if (!config) {
 		dev_err_ratelimited(disk_to_dev(nbd->disk),
 				    "Socks array is empty\n");
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}
-	config = nbd->config;
 
 	if (index >= config->num_connections) {
 		dev_err_ratelimited(disk_to_dev(nbd->disk),
@@ -1534,17 +1550,20 @@ static int nbd_ioctl(struct block_device *bdev, fmode_t mode,
 	return error;
 }
 
-static struct nbd_config *nbd_alloc_config(void)
+static int nbd_alloc_and_init_config(struct nbd_device *nbd)
 {
 	struct nbd_config *config;
 
+	if (WARN_ON(nbd->config))
+		return -EINVAL;
+
 	if (!try_module_get(THIS_MODULE))
-		return ERR_PTR(-ENODEV);
+		return -ENODEV;
 
 	config = kzalloc(sizeof(struct nbd_config), GFP_NOFS);
 	if (!config) {
 		module_put(THIS_MODULE);
-		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
 	atomic_set(&config->recv_threads, 0);
@@ -1552,12 +1571,24 @@ static struct nbd_config *nbd_alloc_config(void)
 	init_waitqueue_head(&config->conn_wait);
 	config->blksize = NBD_DEF_BLKSIZE;
 	atomic_set(&config->live_connections, 0);
-	return config;
+
+	nbd->config = config;
+	/*
+	 * Order refcount_set(&nbd->config_refs, 1) and nbd->config assignment,
+	 * its pair is the barrier in nbd_get_config_unlocked().
+	 * So nbd_get_config_unlocked() won't see nbd->config as null after
+	 * refcount_inc_not_zero() succeed.
+	 */
+	smp_mb__before_atomic();
+	refcount_set(&nbd->config_refs, 1);
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static int nbd_open(struct block_device *bdev, fmode_t mode)
 {
 	struct nbd_device *nbd;
+	struct nbd_config *config;
 	int ret = 0;
 
 	mutex_lock(&nbd_index_mutex);
@@ -1570,26 +1601,24 @@ static int nbd_open(struct block_device *bdev, fmode_t mode)
 		ret = -ENXIO;
 		goto out;
 	}
-	if (!refcount_inc_not_zero(&nbd->config_refs)) {
-		struct nbd_config *config;
 
+	config = nbd_get_config_unlocked(nbd);
+	if (!config) {
 		mutex_lock(&nbd->config_lock);
 		if (refcount_inc_not_zero(&nbd->config_refs)) {
 			mutex_unlock(&nbd->config_lock);
 			goto out;
 		}
-		config = nbd_alloc_config();
-		if (IS_ERR(config)) {
-			ret = PTR_ERR(config);
+		ret = nbd_alloc_and_init_config(nbd);
+		if (ret) {
 			mutex_unlock(&nbd->config_lock);
 			goto out;
 		}
-		nbd->config = config;
-		refcount_set(&nbd->config_refs, 1);
+
 		refcount_inc(&nbd->refs);
 		mutex_unlock(&nbd->config_lock);
 		set_bit(GD_NEED_PART_SCAN, &bdev->bd_disk->state);
-	} else if (nbd_disconnected(nbd->config)) {
+	} else if (nbd_disconnected(config)) {
 		set_bit(GD_NEED_PART_SCAN, &bdev->bd_disk->state);
 	}
 out:
@@ -2006,22 +2035,17 @@ static int nbd_genl_connect(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 		printk(KERN_ERR "nbd: nbd%d already in use\n", index);
 		return -EBUSY;
 	}
-	if (WARN_ON(nbd->config)) {
-		mutex_unlock(&nbd->config_lock);
-		nbd_put(nbd);
-		return -EINVAL;
-	}
-	config = nbd_alloc_config();
-	if (IS_ERR(config)) {
+
+	ret = nbd_alloc_and_init_config(nbd);
+	if (ret) {
 		mutex_unlock(&nbd->config_lock);
 		nbd_put(nbd);
 		printk(KERN_ERR "nbd: couldn't allocate config\n");
-		return PTR_ERR(config);
+		return ret;
 	}
-	nbd->config = config;
-	refcount_set(&nbd->config_refs, 1);
-	set_bit(NBD_RT_BOUND, &config->runtime_flags);
 
+	config = nbd->config;
+	set_bit(NBD_RT_BOUND, &config->runtime_flags);
 	ret = nbd_genl_size_set(info, nbd);
 	if (ret)
 		goto out;
@@ -2199,7 +2223,8 @@ static int nbd_genl_reconfigure(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 	}
 	mutex_unlock(&nbd_index_mutex);
 
-	if (!refcount_inc_not_zero(&nbd->config_refs)) {
+	config = nbd_get_config_unlocked(nbd);
+	if (!config) {
 		dev_err(nbd_to_dev(nbd),
 			"not configured, cannot reconfigure\n");
 		nbd_put(nbd);
@@ -2207,7 +2232,6 @@ static int nbd_genl_reconfigure(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 	}
 
 	mutex_lock(&nbd->config_lock);
-	config = nbd->config;
 	if (!test_bit(NBD_RT_BOUND, &config->runtime_flags) ||
 	    !nbd->pid) {
 		dev_err(nbd_to_dev(nbd),