diff --git a/fs/aufs/iinfo.c b/fs/aufs/iinfo.c
index 672eed8b591326..283909b17db604 100644
--- a/fs/aufs/iinfo.c
+++ b/fs/aufs/iinfo.c
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ void au_icntnr_init_once(void *_c)
 	spin_lock_init(&iinfo->ii_generation.ig_spin);
 	au_rw_init(&iinfo->ii_rwsem);
 	inode_init_once(&c->vfs_inode);
+	spin_lock_init(&c->nlink_spin);
 }
 
 void au_hinode_init(struct au_hinode *hinode)
diff --git a/fs/aufs/inode.h b/fs/aufs/inode.h
index 56aa0186dc4af3..6824a768939259 100644
--- a/fs/aufs/inode.h
+++ b/fs/aufs/inode.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 #ifdef __KERNEL__
 
 #include <linux/fsnotify.h>
+#include "fstype.h"
 #include "rwsem.h"
 
 struct vfsmount;
@@ -67,6 +68,7 @@ struct au_iinfo {
 struct au_icntnr {
 	struct au_iinfo		iinfo;
 	struct inode		vfs_inode;
+	spinlock_t		nlink_spin; /* protects vfs_inode.i_nlink */
 	struct hlist_bl_node	plink;
 	struct rcu_head		rcu;
 } ____cacheline_aligned_in_smp;
@@ -112,6 +114,24 @@ static inline struct au_iinfo *au_ii(struct inode *inode)
 	return &(container_of(inode, struct au_icntnr, vfs_inode)->iinfo);
 }
 
+static inline void au_nlink_lock(struct inode *inode)
+{
+	spinlock_t *spin;
+
+	AuDebugOn(!au_test_aufs(inode->i_sb));
+	AuDebugOn(is_bad_inode(inode));
+	spin = &(container_of(inode, struct au_icntnr, vfs_inode)->nlink_spin);
+	spin_lock(spin);
+}
+
+static inline void au_nlink_unlock(struct inode *inode)
+{
+	spinlock_t *spin;
+
+	spin = &(container_of(inode, struct au_icntnr, vfs_inode)->nlink_spin);
+	spin_unlock(spin);
+}
+
 /* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
 /* inode.c */
diff --git a/fs/aufs/vfsub.c b/fs/aufs/vfsub.c
index 42aea4826211e5..86912a537c603f 100644
--- a/fs/aufs/vfsub.c
+++ b/fs/aufs/vfsub.c
@@ -38,6 +38,52 @@ int vfsub_sync_filesystem(struct super_block *h_sb)
 
 /* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
+unsigned int vfsub_inode_nlink_aufs(struct inode *inode)
+{
+	unsigned int nlink;
+
+	au_nlink_lock(inode);
+	nlink = inode->i_nlink;
+	au_nlink_unlock(inode);
+
+	return nlink;
+}
+
+void vfsub_inc_nlink(struct inode *inode)
+{
+	au_nlink_lock(inode);
+	inc_nlink(inode);
+	au_nlink_unlock(inode);
+}
+
+void vfsub_drop_nlink(struct inode *inode)
+{
+	au_nlink_lock(inode);
+	AuDebugOn(!inode->i_nlink);
+	drop_nlink(inode);
+	au_nlink_unlock(inode);
+}
+
+void vfsub_clear_nlink(struct inode *inode)
+{
+	au_nlink_lock(inode);
+	AuDebugOn(!inode->i_nlink);
+	clear_nlink(inode);
+	au_nlink_unlock(inode);
+}
+
+void vfsub_set_nlink(struct inode *inode, unsigned int nlink)
+{
+	/*
+	 * stop setting the value equal to the current one, in order to stop
+	 * a useless warning from vfs:destroy_inode() about sb->s_remove_count.
+	 */
+	au_nlink_lock(inode);
+	if (nlink != inode->i_nlink)
+		set_nlink(inode, nlink);
+	au_nlink_unlock(inode);
+}
+
 int vfsub_update_h_iattr(struct path *h_path, int *did)
 {
 	int err;
diff --git a/fs/aufs/vfsub.h b/fs/aufs/vfsub.h
index 4eea10d3f2d6c3..bf12e73cf4a6d1 100644
--- a/fs/aufs/vfsub.h
+++ b/fs/aufs/vfsub.h
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include <linux/posix_acl.h>
 #include <linux/xattr.h>
 #include "debug.h"
+#include "fstype.h"
 
 /* copied from linux/fs/internal.h */
 /* todo: BAD approach!! */
@@ -44,28 +45,50 @@ enum {
 
 /* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
-static inline void au_set_nlink(struct inode *inode, unsigned int nlink)
+unsigned int vfsub_inode_nlink_aufs(struct inode *inode);
+
+enum au_inode_type {
+	AU_I_AUFS,
+	AU_I_BRANCH,
+	AU_I_UNKNOWN
+};
+
+static inline unsigned int vfsub_inode_nlink(struct inode *inode,
+					     enum au_inode_type type)
 {
-	/*
-	 * stop setting the value equal to the current one, in order to stop
-	 * a useless warning from vfs:destroy_inode() about sb->s_remove_count.
-	 */
-	if (nlink != inode->i_nlink)
-		set_nlink(inode, nlink);
+	unsigned int nlink;
+
+	switch (type) {
+	case AU_I_AUFS:
+		nlink = vfsub_inode_nlink_aufs(inode);
+		break;
+	case AU_I_BRANCH: /* aufs cannot be a branch of another aufs mount */
+		AuDebugOn(au_test_aufs(inode->i_sb));
+		nlink = inode->i_nlink;
+		break;
+	case AU_I_UNKNOWN:
+		if (au_test_aufs(inode->i_sb))
+			nlink = vfsub_inode_nlink_aufs(inode);
+		else
+			nlink = inode->i_nlink;
+		break;
+	};
+
+	return nlink;
 }
 
-static inline void au_init_nlink(struct inode *inode, unsigned int nlink)
+void vfsub_inc_nlink(struct inode *inode);
+void vfsub_drop_nlink(struct inode *inode);
+void vfsub_clear_nlink(struct inode *inode);
+void vfsub_set_nlink(struct inode *inode, unsigned int nlink);
+
+static inline void vfsub_inode_nlink_init(struct inode *inode,
+					  unsigned int nlink)
 {
 	/* to ignore sb->s_remove_count, do not use set_nlink() */
 	inode->__i_nlink = nlink;
 }
 
-static inline void vfsub_drop_nlink(struct inode *inode)
-{
-	AuDebugOn(!inode->i_nlink);
-	drop_nlink(inode);
-}
-
 static inline void vfsub_dead_dir(struct inode *inode)
 {
 	AuDebugOn(!S_ISDIR(inode->i_mode));