diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/dcache.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/dcache.c
index e048538d45e6..7d6abfff9740 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/dcache.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/dcache.c
@@ -303,7 +303,7 @@ void ll_invalidate_aliases(struct inode *inode)
 			libcfs_debug_dumpstack(NULL);
 		}
 
-		d_lustre_invalidate(dentry);
+		d_lustre_invalidate(dentry, 0);
 	}
 	ll_unlock_dcache(inode);
 
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/file.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/file.c
index be423171646f..ed1e3f7b4e58 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/file.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/file.c
@@ -2563,7 +2563,7 @@ int __ll_inode_revalidate_it(struct dentry *dentry, struct lookup_intent *it,
 		   here to preserve get_cwd functionality on 2.6.
 		   Bug 10503 */
 		if (!dentry->d_inode->i_nlink)
-			d_lustre_invalidate(dentry);
+			d_lustre_invalidate(dentry, 0);
 
 		ll_lookup_finish_locks(&oit, dentry);
 	} else if (!ll_have_md_lock(dentry->d_inode, &ibits, LCK_MINMODE)) {
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/llite_internal.h b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/llite_internal.h
index e972a822b8f5..992cd203ca1a 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/llite_internal.h
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/llite_internal.h
@@ -1525,13 +1525,14 @@ static inline void __d_lustre_invalidate(struct dentry *dentry)
  * ll_md_blocking_ast), unhash this dentry, and let dcache to reclaim it later;
  * else dput() of the last refcount will unhash this dentry and kill it.
  */
-static inline void d_lustre_invalidate(struct dentry *dentry)
+static inline void d_lustre_invalidate(struct dentry *dentry, int nested)
 {
 	CDEBUG(D_DENTRY, "invalidate dentry %.*s (%p) parent %p inode %p "
 	       "refc %d\n", dentry->d_name.len, dentry->d_name.name, dentry,
 	       dentry->d_parent, dentry->d_inode, d_refcount(dentry));
 
-	spin_lock(&dentry->d_lock);
+	spin_lock_nested(&dentry->d_lock,
+			 nested ? DENTRY_D_LOCK_NESTED : DENTRY_D_LOCK_NORMAL);
 	__d_lustre_invalidate(dentry);
 	if (d_refcount(dentry) == 0)
 		__d_drop(dentry);
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/namei.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/namei.c
index e6b3f54abbe3..58d59aa12619 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/namei.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/namei.c
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ static void ll_invalidate_negative_children(struct inode *dir)
 						 &dentry->d_subdirs,
 						 d_u.d_child) {
 				if (child->d_inode == NULL)
-					d_lustre_invalidate(child);
+					d_lustre_invalidate(child, 1);
 			}
 		}
 		spin_unlock(&dentry->d_lock);