diff --git a/fs/smb/client/connect.c b/fs/smb/client/connect.c
index 2a30245287d5..432248e955ed 100644
--- a/fs/smb/client/connect.c
+++ b/fs/smb/client/connect.c
@@ -1612,10 +1612,6 @@ cifs_put_tcp_session(struct TCP_Server_Info *server, int from_reconnect)
 	list_del_init(&server->tcp_ses_list);
 	spin_unlock(&cifs_tcp_ses_lock);
 
-	/* For secondary channels, we pick up ref-count on the primary server */
-	if (SERVER_IS_CHAN(server))
-		cifs_put_tcp_session(server->primary_server, from_reconnect);
-
 	cancel_delayed_work_sync(&server->echo);
 
 	if (from_reconnect)
@@ -1629,6 +1625,10 @@ cifs_put_tcp_session(struct TCP_Server_Info *server, int from_reconnect)
 	else
 		cancel_delayed_work_sync(&server->reconnect);
 
+	/* For secondary channels, we pick up ref-count on the primary server */
+	if (SERVER_IS_CHAN(server))
+		cifs_put_tcp_session(server->primary_server, from_reconnect);
+
 	spin_lock(&server->srv_lock);
 	server->tcpStatus = CifsExiting;
 	spin_unlock(&server->srv_lock);
diff --git a/fs/smb/client/smb2pdu.c b/fs/smb/client/smb2pdu.c
index da752f41a4e6..a3995c6dc1ad 100644
--- a/fs/smb/client/smb2pdu.c
+++ b/fs/smb/client/smb2pdu.c
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ out:
 
 static int
 smb2_reconnect(__le16 smb2_command, struct cifs_tcon *tcon,
-	       struct TCP_Server_Info *server)
+	       struct TCP_Server_Info *server, bool from_reconnect)
 {
 	int rc = 0;
 	struct nls_table *nls_codepage = NULL;
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ again:
 				 * as cifs_put_tcp_session takes a higher lock
 				 * i.e. cifs_tcp_ses_lock
 				 */
-				cifs_put_tcp_session(server, 1);
+				cifs_put_tcp_session(server, from_reconnect);
 
 				server->terminate = true;
 				cifs_signal_cifsd_for_reconnect(server, false);
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ static int smb2_plain_req_init(__le16 smb2_command, struct cifs_tcon *tcon,
 {
 	int rc;
 
-	rc = smb2_reconnect(smb2_command, tcon, server);
+	rc = smb2_reconnect(smb2_command, tcon, server, false);
 	if (rc)
 		return rc;
 
@@ -3924,6 +3924,15 @@ void smb2_reconnect_server(struct work_struct *work)
 	int rc;
 	bool resched = false;
 
+	/* first check if ref count has reached 0, if not inc ref count */
+	spin_lock(&cifs_tcp_ses_lock);
+	if (!server->srv_count) {
+		spin_unlock(&cifs_tcp_ses_lock);
+		return;
+	}
+	server->srv_count++;
+	spin_unlock(&cifs_tcp_ses_lock);
+
 	/* If server is a channel, select the primary channel */
 	pserver = SERVER_IS_CHAN(server) ? server->primary_server : server;
 
@@ -3981,17 +3990,10 @@ void smb2_reconnect_server(struct work_struct *work)
 		}
 		spin_unlock(&ses->chan_lock);
 	}
-	/*
-	 * Get the reference to server struct to be sure that the last call of
-	 * cifs_put_tcon() in the loop below won't release the server pointer.
-	 */
-	if (tcon_exist || ses_exist)
-		server->srv_count++;
-
 	spin_unlock(&cifs_tcp_ses_lock);
 
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(tcon, tcon2, &tmp_list, rlist) {
-		rc = smb2_reconnect(SMB2_INTERNAL_CMD, tcon, server);
+		rc = smb2_reconnect(SMB2_INTERNAL_CMD, tcon, server, true);
 		if (!rc)
 			cifs_reopen_persistent_handles(tcon);
 		else
@@ -4024,7 +4026,7 @@ void smb2_reconnect_server(struct work_struct *work)
 	/* now reconnect sessions for necessary channels */
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(ses, ses2, &tmp_ses_list, rlist) {
 		tcon->ses = ses;
-		rc = smb2_reconnect(SMB2_INTERNAL_CMD, tcon, server);
+		rc = smb2_reconnect(SMB2_INTERNAL_CMD, tcon, server, true);
 		if (rc)
 			resched = true;
 		list_del_init(&ses->rlist);
@@ -4039,8 +4041,7 @@ done:
 	mutex_unlock(&pserver->reconnect_mutex);
 
 	/* now we can safely release srv struct */
-	if (tcon_exist || ses_exist)
-		cifs_put_tcp_session(server, 1);
+	cifs_put_tcp_session(server, true);
 }
 
 int