diff --git a/drivers/staging/iio/industrialio-ring.c b/drivers/staging/iio/industrialio-ring.c
index e53e214bfeb0..5f48632e4258 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/iio/industrialio-ring.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/iio/industrialio-ring.c
@@ -266,6 +266,8 @@ void iio_ring_buffer_init(struct iio_ring_buffer *ring,
 	ring->indio_dev = dev_info;
 	ring->ev_int.private = ring;
 	ring->access_handler.private = ring;
+	ring->shared_ev_pointer.ev_p = 0;
+	spin_lock_init(&ring->shared_ev_pointer.lock);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(iio_ring_buffer_init);
 
diff --git a/drivers/staging/iio/ring_generic.h b/drivers/staging/iio/ring_generic.h
index 09044adf7327..75e0fc078d68 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/iio/ring_generic.h
+++ b/drivers/staging/iio/ring_generic.h
@@ -134,19 +134,17 @@ void iio_ring_buffer_init(struct iio_ring_buffer *ring,
 			  struct iio_dev *dev_info);
 
 /**
- * __iio_init_ring_buffer() - initialize common elements of ring buffers
+ * __iio_update_ring_buffer() - update common elements of ring buffers
  * @ring:		ring buffer that is the event source
  * @bytes_per_datum:	size of individual datum including timestamp
  * @length:		number of datums in ring
  **/
-static inline void __iio_init_ring_buffer(struct iio_ring_buffer *ring,
-				 int bytes_per_datum, int length)
+static inline void __iio_update_ring_buffer(struct iio_ring_buffer *ring,
+					    int bytes_per_datum, int length)
 {
 	ring->bpd = bytes_per_datum;
 	ring->length = length;
 	ring->loopcount = 0;
-	ring->shared_ev_pointer.ev_p = 0;
-	spin_lock_init(&ring->shared_ev_pointer.lock);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/drivers/staging/iio/ring_sw.c b/drivers/staging/iio/ring_sw.c
index b104c3d9c35e..851a97edd1d4 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/iio/ring_sw.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/iio/ring_sw.c
@@ -14,14 +14,12 @@
 #include <linux/workqueue.h>
 #include "ring_sw.h"
 
-static inline int __iio_init_sw_ring_buffer(struct iio_sw_ring_buffer *ring,
-					    int bytes_per_datum, int length)
+static inline int __iio_allocate_sw_ring_buffer(struct iio_sw_ring_buffer *ring,
+						int bytes_per_datum, int length)
 {
 	if ((length == 0) || (bytes_per_datum == 0))
 		return -EINVAL;
-
-	__iio_init_ring_buffer(&ring->buf, bytes_per_datum, length);
-	spin_lock_init(&ring->use_lock);
+	__iio_update_ring_buffer(&ring->buf, bytes_per_datum, length);
 	ring->data = kmalloc(length*ring->buf.bpd, GFP_KERNEL);
 	ring->read_p = 0;
 	ring->write_p = 0;
@@ -30,6 +28,11 @@ static inline int __iio_init_sw_ring_buffer(struct iio_sw_ring_buffer *ring,
 	return ring->data ? 0 : -ENOMEM;
 }
 
+static inline void __iio_init_sw_ring_buffer(struct iio_sw_ring_buffer *ring)
+{
+	spin_lock_init(&ring->use_lock);
+}
+
 static inline void __iio_free_sw_ring_buffer(struct iio_sw_ring_buffer *ring)
 {
 	kfree(ring->data);
@@ -320,7 +323,8 @@ int iio_request_update_sw_rb(struct iio_ring_buffer *r)
 		goto error_ret;
 	}
 	__iio_free_sw_ring_buffer(ring);
-	ret = __iio_init_sw_ring_buffer(ring, ring->buf.bpd, ring->buf.length);
+	ret = __iio_allocate_sw_ring_buffer(ring, ring->buf.bpd,
+					    ring->buf.length);
 error_ret:
 	spin_unlock(&ring->use_lock);
 	return ret;
@@ -411,8 +415,8 @@ struct iio_ring_buffer *iio_sw_rb_allocate(struct iio_dev *indio_dev)
 	if (!ring)
 		return 0;
 	buf = &ring->buf;
-
 	iio_ring_buffer_init(buf, indio_dev);
+	__iio_init_sw_ring_buffer(ring);
 	buf->dev.type = &iio_sw_ring_type;
 	device_initialize(&buf->dev);
 	buf->dev.parent = &indio_dev->dev;