diff --git a/fs/inode.c b/fs/inode.c
index 140a62e5382c..f7c8c0fe11d4 100644
--- a/fs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/inode.c
@@ -1012,6 +1012,48 @@ void discard_new_inode(struct inode *inode)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(discard_new_inode);
 
+/**
+ * lock_two_inodes - lock two inodes (may be regular files but also dirs)
+ *
+ * Lock any non-NULL argument. The caller must make sure that if he is passing
+ * in two directories, one is not ancestor of the other.  Zero, one or two
+ * objects may be locked by this function.
+ *
+ * @inode1: first inode to lock
+ * @inode2: second inode to lock
+ * @subclass1: inode lock subclass for the first lock obtained
+ * @subclass2: inode lock subclass for the second lock obtained
+ */
+void lock_two_inodes(struct inode *inode1, struct inode *inode2,
+		     unsigned subclass1, unsigned subclass2)
+{
+	if (!inode1 || !inode2) {
+		/*
+		 * Make sure @subclass1 will be used for the acquired lock.
+		 * This is not strictly necessary (no current caller cares) but
+		 * let's keep things consistent.
+		 */
+		if (!inode1)
+			swap(inode1, inode2);
+		goto lock;
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * If one object is directory and the other is not, we must make sure
+	 * to lock directory first as the other object may be its child.
+	 */
+	if (S_ISDIR(inode2->i_mode) == S_ISDIR(inode1->i_mode)) {
+		if (inode1 > inode2)
+			swap(inode1, inode2);
+	} else if (!S_ISDIR(inode1->i_mode))
+		swap(inode1, inode2);
+lock:
+	if (inode1)
+		inode_lock_nested(inode1, subclass1);
+	if (inode2 && inode2 != inode1)
+		inode_lock_nested(inode2, subclass2);
+}
+
 /**
  * lock_two_nondirectories - take two i_mutexes on non-directory objects
  *
diff --git a/fs/internal.h b/fs/internal.h
index 61aed95f83d1..377f984e9226 100644
--- a/fs/internal.h
+++ b/fs/internal.h
@@ -138,6 +138,8 @@ extern int vfs_open(const struct path *, struct file *);
 extern long prune_icache_sb(struct super_block *sb, struct shrink_control *sc);
 extern void inode_add_lru(struct inode *inode);
 extern int dentry_needs_remove_privs(struct dentry *dentry);
+void lock_two_inodes(struct inode *inode1, struct inode *inode2,
+		     unsigned subclass1, unsigned subclass2);
 
 /*
  * fs-writeback.c
diff --git a/fs/namei.c b/fs/namei.c
index d220df830c49..260a1012be06 100644
--- a/fs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/namei.c
@@ -2870,8 +2870,8 @@ struct dentry *lock_rename(struct dentry *p1, struct dentry *p2)
 		return p;
 	}
 
-	inode_lock_nested(p1->d_inode, I_MUTEX_PARENT);
-	inode_lock_nested(p2->d_inode, I_MUTEX_PARENT2);
+	lock_two_inodes(p1->d_inode, p2->d_inode,
+			I_MUTEX_PARENT, I_MUTEX_PARENT2);
 	return NULL;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(lock_rename);