diff --git a/drivers/md/dm-raid.c b/drivers/md/dm-raid.c
index fcdaba156211febf354afe808f7937bfc8db9b1a..3e3d4ed0c087fa6618dac994e9dc6725718f3775 100644
--- a/drivers/md/dm-raid.c
+++ b/drivers/md/dm-raid.c
@@ -3684,16 +3684,12 @@ 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 a7faf615308533ae9774ebbc343d35f70b70b118..6df154ab98020ed28b733022073b45f0bd10c645 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md.c
+++ b/drivers/md/md.c
@@ -4890,7 +4890,7 @@ 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);
 
@@ -4906,8 +4906,9 @@ 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;
@@ -4920,6 +4921,7 @@ 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 df78553b4e5adc41850d14440a77d33a43daec65..6eba883eddd6ef2558aadcc0ad06fee34c9d712a 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md.h
+++ b/drivers/md/md.h
@@ -773,6 +773,8 @@ 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);