diff --git a/fs/nfs/client.c b/fs/nfs/client.c
index acc9c4943b84..ac5ff21bef16 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/client.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/client.c
@@ -1364,7 +1364,7 @@ struct nfs_server *nfs4_create_server(const struct nfs_parsed_mount_data *data,
 		goto error;
 
 	/* Probe the root fh to retrieve its FSID */
-	error = nfs4_path_walk(server, mntfh, data->nfs_server.export_path);
+	error = nfs4_get_rootfh(server, mntfh);
 	if (error < 0)
 		goto error;
 
@@ -1443,7 +1443,7 @@ struct nfs_server *nfs4_create_referral_server(struct nfs_clone_mount *data,
 	BUG_ON(!server->nfs_client->rpc_ops->file_inode_ops);
 
 	/* Probe the root fh to retrieve its FSID and filehandle */
-	error = nfs4_path_walk(server, mntfh, data->mnt_path);
+	error = nfs4_get_rootfh(server, mntfh);
 	if (error < 0)
 		goto error;
 
diff --git a/fs/nfs/getroot.c b/fs/nfs/getroot.c
index b35d2a616066..ada369a5647b 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/getroot.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/getroot.c
@@ -122,115 +122,44 @@ struct dentry *nfs_get_root(struct super_block *sb, struct nfs_fh *mntfh)
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_NFS_V4
 
-/*
- * Do a simple pathwalk from the root FH of the server to the nominated target
- * of the mountpoint
- * - give error on symlinks
- * - give error on ".." occurring in the path
- * - follow traversals
- */
-int nfs4_path_walk(struct nfs_server *server,
-		   struct nfs_fh *mntfh,
-		   const char *path)
+int nfs4_get_rootfh(struct nfs_server *server, struct nfs_fh *mntfh)
 {
 	struct nfs_fsinfo fsinfo;
-	struct nfs_fattr fattr;
-	struct nfs_fh lastfh;
-	struct qstr name;
-	int ret;
+	int ret = -ENOMEM;
 
-	dprintk("--> nfs4_path_walk(,,%s)\n", path);
+	dprintk("--> nfs4_get_rootfh()\n");
 
-	fsinfo.fattr = &fattr;
-	nfs_fattr_init(&fattr);
-
-	/* Eat leading slashes */
-	while (*path == '/')
-		path++;
+	fsinfo.fattr = nfs_alloc_fattr();
+	if (fsinfo.fattr == NULL)
+		goto out;
 
 	/* Start by getting the root filehandle from the server */
 	ret = server->nfs_client->rpc_ops->getroot(server, mntfh, &fsinfo);
 	if (ret < 0) {
-		dprintk("nfs4_get_root: getroot error = %d\n", -ret);
-		return ret;
+		dprintk("nfs4_get_rootfh: getroot error = %d\n", -ret);
+		goto out;
 	}
 
-	if (!S_ISDIR(fattr.mode)) {
-		printk(KERN_ERR "nfs4_get_root:"
+	if (!(fsinfo.fattr->valid & NFS_ATTR_FATTR_MODE)
+			|| !S_ISDIR(fsinfo.fattr->mode)) {
+		printk(KERN_ERR "nfs4_get_rootfh:"
 		       " getroot encountered non-directory\n");
-		return -ENOTDIR;
+		ret = -ENOTDIR;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
-	/* FIXME: It is quite valid for the server to return a referral here */
-	if (fattr.valid & NFS_ATTR_FATTR_V4_REFERRAL) {
-		printk(KERN_ERR "nfs4_get_root:"
+	if (fsinfo.fattr->valid & NFS_ATTR_FATTR_V4_REFERRAL) {
+		printk(KERN_ERR "nfs4_get_rootfh:"
 		       " getroot obtained referral\n");
-		return -EREMOTE;
+		ret = -EREMOTE;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
-next_component:
-	dprintk("Next: %s\n", path);
-
-	/* extract the next bit of the path */
-	if (!*path)
-		goto path_walk_complete;
-
-	name.name = path;
-	while (*path && *path != '/')
-		path++;
-	name.len = path - (const char *) name.name;
-
-	if (name.len > NFS4_MAXNAMLEN)
-		return -ENAMETOOLONG;
-
-eat_dot_dir:
-	while (*path == '/')
-		path++;
-
-	if (path[0] == '.' && (path[1] == '/' || !path[1])) {
-		path += 2;
-		goto eat_dot_dir;
-	}
-
-	/* FIXME: Why shouldn't the user be able to use ".." in the path? */
-	if (path[0] == '.' && path[1] == '.' && (path[2] == '/' || !path[2])
-	    ) {
-		printk(KERN_ERR "nfs4_get_root:"
-		       " Mount path contains reference to \"..\"\n");
-		return -EINVAL;
-	}
-
-	/* lookup the next FH in the sequence */
-	memcpy(&lastfh, mntfh, sizeof(lastfh));
-
-	dprintk("LookupFH: %*.*s [%s]\n", name.len, name.len, name.name, path);
-
-	ret = server->nfs_client->rpc_ops->lookupfh(server, &lastfh, &name,
-						    mntfh, &fattr);
-	if (ret < 0) {
-		dprintk("nfs4_get_root: getroot error = %d\n", -ret);
-		return ret;
-	}
-
-	if (!S_ISDIR(fattr.mode)) {
-		printk(KERN_ERR "nfs4_get_root:"
-		       " lookupfh encountered non-directory\n");
-		return -ENOTDIR;
-	}
-
-	/* FIXME: Referrals are quite valid here too */
-	if (fattr.valid & NFS_ATTR_FATTR_V4_REFERRAL) {
-		printk(KERN_ERR "nfs4_get_root:"
-		       " lookupfh obtained referral\n");
-		return -EREMOTE;
-	}
-
-	goto next_component;
-
-path_walk_complete:
-	memcpy(&server->fsid, &fattr.fsid, sizeof(server->fsid));
-	dprintk("<-- nfs4_path_walk() = 0\n");
-	return 0;
+	memcpy(&server->fsid, &fsinfo.fattr->fsid, sizeof(server->fsid));
+out:
+	nfs_free_fattr(fsinfo.fattr);
+	dprintk("<-- nfs4_get_rootfh() = %d\n", ret);
+	return ret;
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/fs/nfs/internal.h b/fs/nfs/internal.h
index 11f82f03c5de..d8bd619e386c 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/internal.h
+++ b/fs/nfs/internal.h
@@ -244,9 +244,7 @@ extern struct dentry *nfs_get_root(struct super_block *, struct nfs_fh *);
 #ifdef CONFIG_NFS_V4
 extern struct dentry *nfs4_get_root(struct super_block *, struct nfs_fh *);
 
-extern int nfs4_path_walk(struct nfs_server *server,
-			  struct nfs_fh *mntfh,
-			  const char *path);
+extern int nfs4_get_rootfh(struct nfs_server *server, struct nfs_fh *mntfh);
 #endif
 
 /* read.c */