diff --git a/drivers/md/dm-raid.c b/drivers/md/dm-raid.c
index b163329172208209cacf3805e6306e0b5f0083b0..92587efb5b95b716d8bdcabdcb8ea3cc812026c7 100644
--- a/drivers/md/dm-raid.c
+++ b/drivers/md/dm-raid.c
@@ -3703,16 +3703,12 @@ static int raid_message(struct dm_target *ti, unsigned int argc, char **argv,
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	if (!strcasecmp(argv[0], "frozen"))
-		set_bit(MD_RECOVERY_FROZEN, &mddev->recovery);
-	else
-		clear_bit(MD_RECOVERY_FROZEN, &mddev->recovery);
+		frozen_sync_thread(mddev);
+	else if (!strcasecmp(argv[0], "idle"))
+		idle_sync_thread(mddev);
 
-	if (!strcasecmp(argv[0], "idle") || !strcasecmp(argv[0], "frozen")) {
-		if (mddev->sync_thread) {
-			set_bit(MD_RECOVERY_INTR, &mddev->recovery);
-			md_reap_sync_thread(mddev);
-		}
-	} else if (decipher_sync_action(mddev, mddev->recovery) != st_idle)
+	clear_bit(MD_RECOVERY_FROZEN, &mddev->recovery);
+	if (decipher_sync_action(mddev, mddev->recovery) != st_idle)
 		return -EBUSY;
 	else if (!strcasecmp(argv[0], "resync"))
 		; /* MD_RECOVERY_NEEDED set below */
diff --git a/drivers/md/md.c b/drivers/md/md.c
index 1ba830aed55e497728e386bf0284d1f2f0591fa6..80f7b58c202ed4ab6c2ff5296067fce74add0efb 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md.c
+++ b/drivers/md/md.c
@@ -4725,7 +4725,7 @@ static void stop_sync_thread(struct mddev *mddev)
 	mddev_unlock(mddev);
 }
 
-static void idle_sync_thread(struct mddev *mddev)
+void idle_sync_thread(struct mddev *mddev)
 {
 	int sync_seq = atomic_read(&mddev->sync_seq);
 
@@ -4741,8 +4741,9 @@ static void idle_sync_thread(struct mddev *mddev)
 
 	mutex_unlock(&mddev->sync_mutex);
 }
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(idle_sync_thread);
 
-static void frozen_sync_thread(struct mddev *mddev)
+void frozen_sync_thread(struct mddev *mddev)
 {
 	if (mutex_lock_interruptible(&mddev->sync_mutex))
 		return;
@@ -4755,6 +4756,7 @@ static void frozen_sync_thread(struct mddev *mddev)
 
 	mutex_unlock(&mddev->sync_mutex);
 }
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(frozen_sync_thread);
 
 static ssize_t
 action_store(struct mddev *mddev, const char *page, size_t len)
diff --git a/drivers/md/md.h b/drivers/md/md.h
index ea67637f70825dc04dd9744720f24e1d06ebcc03..84fbf9062053a3c0fe0f2a85b6ca92869a40ca3a 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md.h
+++ b/drivers/md/md.h
@@ -752,6 +752,8 @@ extern void md_rdev_clear(struct md_rdev *rdev);
 extern void md_handle_request(struct mddev *mddev, struct bio *bio);
 extern void mddev_suspend(struct mddev *mddev);
 extern void mddev_resume(struct mddev *mddev);
+extern void idle_sync_thread(struct mddev *mddev);
+extern void frozen_sync_thread(struct mddev *mddev);
 extern struct bio *bio_alloc_mddev(gfp_t gfp_mask, int nr_iovecs,
 				   struct mddev *mddev);