diff --git a/include/linux/netfilter_ipv4/ip_conntrack.h b/include/linux/netfilter_ipv4/ip_conntrack.h
index ff2c1c6001f9..088742befe49 100644
--- a/include/linux/netfilter_ipv4/ip_conntrack.h
+++ b/include/linux/netfilter_ipv4/ip_conntrack.h
@@ -411,6 +411,7 @@ struct ip_conntrack_stat
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_IP_NF_CONNTRACK_EVENTS
 #include <linux/notifier.h>
+#include <linux/interrupt.h>
 
 struct ip_conntrack_ecache {
 	struct ip_conntrack *ct;
@@ -445,26 +446,24 @@ ip_conntrack_expect_unregister_notifier(struct notifier_block *nb)
 	return notifier_chain_unregister(&ip_conntrack_expect_chain, nb);
 }
 
+extern void ip_ct_deliver_cached_events(const struct ip_conntrack *ct);
+extern void __ip_ct_event_cache_init(struct ip_conntrack *ct);
+
 static inline void 
 ip_conntrack_event_cache(enum ip_conntrack_events event,
 			 const struct sk_buff *skb)
 {
-	struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ecache = 
-					&__get_cpu_var(ip_conntrack_ecache);
-
-	if (unlikely((struct ip_conntrack *) skb->nfct != ecache->ct)) {
-		if (net_ratelimit()) {
-			printk(KERN_ERR "ctevent: skb->ct != ecache->ct !!!\n");
-			dump_stack();
-		}
-	}
+	struct ip_conntrack *ct = (struct ip_conntrack *)skb->nfct;
+	struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ecache;
+	
+	local_bh_disable();
+	ecache = &__get_cpu_var(ip_conntrack_ecache);
+	if (ct != ecache->ct)
+		__ip_ct_event_cache_init(ct);
 	ecache->events |= event;
+	local_bh_enable();
 }
 
-extern void 
-ip_conntrack_deliver_cached_events_for(const struct ip_conntrack *ct);
-extern void ip_conntrack_event_cache_init(const struct sk_buff *skb);
-
 static inline void ip_conntrack_event(enum ip_conntrack_events event,
 				      struct ip_conntrack *ct)
 {
@@ -483,9 +482,7 @@ static inline void ip_conntrack_event_cache(enum ip_conntrack_events event,
 					    const struct sk_buff *skb) {}
 static inline void ip_conntrack_event(enum ip_conntrack_events event, 
 				      struct ip_conntrack *ct) {}
-static inline void ip_conntrack_deliver_cached_events_for(
-						struct ip_conntrack *ct) {}
-static inline void ip_conntrack_event_cache_init(const struct sk_buff *skb) {}
+static inline void ip_ct_deliver_cached_events(const struct ip_conntrack *ct) {}
 static inline void 
 ip_conntrack_expect_event(enum ip_conntrack_expect_events event, 
 			  struct ip_conntrack_expect *exp) {}
diff --git a/include/linux/netfilter_ipv4/ip_conntrack_core.h b/include/linux/netfilter_ipv4/ip_conntrack_core.h
index fbf6c3e41647..dc4d2a0575de 100644
--- a/include/linux/netfilter_ipv4/ip_conntrack_core.h
+++ b/include/linux/netfilter_ipv4/ip_conntrack_core.h
@@ -44,18 +44,14 @@ static inline int ip_conntrack_confirm(struct sk_buff **pskb)
 	struct ip_conntrack *ct = (struct ip_conntrack *)(*pskb)->nfct;
 	int ret = NF_ACCEPT;
 
-	if (ct && !is_confirmed(ct))
-		ret = __ip_conntrack_confirm(pskb);
-	ip_conntrack_deliver_cached_events_for(ct);
-
+	if (ct) {
+		if (!is_confirmed(ct))
+			ret = __ip_conntrack_confirm(pskb);
+		ip_ct_deliver_cached_events(ct);
+	}
 	return ret;
 }
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_IP_NF_CONNTRACK_EVENTS
-struct ip_conntrack_ecache;
-extern void __ip_ct_deliver_cached_events(struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ec);
-#endif
-
 extern void __ip_ct_expect_unlink_destroy(struct ip_conntrack_expect *exp);
 
 extern struct list_head *ip_conntrack_hash;
diff --git a/net/ipv4/netfilter/ip_conntrack_core.c b/net/ipv4/netfilter/ip_conntrack_core.c
index d9fddae8d787..5c3f16eae2d8 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/netfilter/ip_conntrack_core.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/netfilter/ip_conntrack_core.c
@@ -85,73 +85,62 @@ struct notifier_block *ip_conntrack_expect_chain;
 
 DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct ip_conntrack_ecache, ip_conntrack_ecache);
 
-static inline void __deliver_cached_events(struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ecache)
+/* deliver cached events and clear cache entry - must be called with locally
+ * disabled softirqs */
+static inline void
+__ip_ct_deliver_cached_events(struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ecache)
 {
+	DEBUGP("ecache: delivering events for %p\n", ecache->ct);
 	if (is_confirmed(ecache->ct) && !is_dying(ecache->ct) && ecache->events)
 		notifier_call_chain(&ip_conntrack_chain, ecache->events,
 				    ecache->ct);
 	ecache->events = 0;
-}
-
-void __ip_ct_deliver_cached_events(struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ecache)
-{
-	__deliver_cached_events(ecache);
+	ip_conntrack_put(ecache->ct);
+	ecache->ct = NULL;
 }
 
 /* Deliver all cached events for a particular conntrack. This is called
  * by code prior to async packet handling or freeing the skb */
-void 
-ip_conntrack_deliver_cached_events_for(const struct ip_conntrack *ct)
+void ip_ct_deliver_cached_events(const struct ip_conntrack *ct)
 {
-	struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ecache = 
-					&__get_cpu_var(ip_conntrack_ecache);
-
-	if (!ct)
-		return;
-
-	if (ecache->ct == ct) {
-		DEBUGP("ecache: delivering event for %p\n", ct);
-		__deliver_cached_events(ecache);
-	} else {
-		if (net_ratelimit())
-			printk(KERN_WARNING "ecache: want to deliver for %p, "
-				"but cache has %p\n", ct, ecache->ct);
-	}
-
-	/* signalize that events have already been delivered */
-	ecache->ct = NULL;
+	struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ecache;
+	
+	local_bh_disable();
+	ecache = &__get_cpu_var(ip_conntrack_ecache);
+	if (ecache->ct == ct)
+		__ip_ct_deliver_cached_events(ecache);
+	local_bh_enable();
 }
 
-/* Deliver cached events for old pending events, if current conntrack != old */
-void ip_conntrack_event_cache_init(const struct sk_buff *skb)
+void __ip_ct_event_cache_init(struct ip_conntrack *ct)
 {
-	struct ip_conntrack *ct = (struct ip_conntrack *) skb->nfct;
-	struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ecache = 
-					&__get_cpu_var(ip_conntrack_ecache);
+	struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ecache;
 
 	/* take care of delivering potentially old events */
-	if (ecache->ct != ct) {
-		enum ip_conntrack_info ctinfo;
-		/* we have to check, since at startup the cache is NULL */
-		if (likely(ecache->ct)) {
-			DEBUGP("ecache: entered for different conntrack: "
-			       "ecache->ct=%p, skb->nfct=%p. delivering "
-			       "events\n", ecache->ct, ct);
-			__deliver_cached_events(ecache);
-			ip_conntrack_put(ecache->ct);
-		} else {
-			DEBUGP("ecache: entered for conntrack %p, "
-				"cache was clean before\n", ct);
-		}
-
-		/* initialize for this conntrack/packet */
-		ecache->ct = ip_conntrack_get(skb, &ctinfo);
-		/* ecache->events cleared by __deliver_cached_devents() */
-	} else {
-		DEBUGP("ecache: re-entered for conntrack %p.\n", ct);
-	}
+	ecache = &__get_cpu_var(ip_conntrack_ecache);
+	BUG_ON(ecache->ct == ct);
+	if (ecache->ct)
+		__ip_ct_deliver_cached_events(ecache);
+	/* initialize for this conntrack/packet */
+	ecache->ct = ct;
+	nf_conntrack_get(&ct->ct_general);
 }
 
+/* flush the event cache - touches other CPU's data and must not be called while
+ * packets are still passing through the code */
+static void ip_ct_event_cache_flush(void)
+{
+	struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ecache;
+	int cpu;
+
+	for_each_cpu(cpu) {
+		ecache = &per_cpu(ip_conntrack_ecache, cpu);
+		if (ecache->ct)
+			ip_conntrack_put(ecache->ct);
+	}
+}
+#else
+static inline void ip_ct_event_cache_flush(void) {}
 #endif /* CONFIG_IP_NF_CONNTRACK_EVENTS */
 
 DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct ip_conntrack_stat, ip_conntrack_stat);
@@ -878,8 +867,6 @@ unsigned int ip_conntrack_in(unsigned int hooknum,
 
 	IP_NF_ASSERT((*pskb)->nfct);
 
-	ip_conntrack_event_cache_init(*pskb);
-
 	ret = proto->packet(ct, *pskb, ctinfo);
 	if (ret < 0) {
 		/* Invalid: inverse of the return code tells
@@ -1278,23 +1265,6 @@ ip_ct_iterate_cleanup(int (*iter)(struct ip_conntrack *i, void *), void *data)
 
 		ip_conntrack_put(ct);
 	}
-
-#ifdef CONFIG_IP_NF_CONNTRACK_EVENTS
-	{
-		/* we need to deliver all cached events in order to drop
-		 * the reference counts */
-		int cpu;
-		for_each_cpu(cpu) {
-			struct ip_conntrack_ecache *ecache = 
-					&per_cpu(ip_conntrack_ecache, cpu);
-			if (ecache->ct) {
-				__ip_ct_deliver_cached_events(ecache);
-				ip_conntrack_put(ecache->ct);
-				ecache->ct = NULL;
-			}
-		}
-	}
-#endif
 }
 
 /* Fast function for those who don't want to parse /proc (and I don't
@@ -1381,6 +1351,7 @@ void ip_conntrack_flush()
            delete... */
 	synchronize_net();
 
+	ip_ct_event_cache_flush();
  i_see_dead_people:
 	ip_ct_iterate_cleanup(kill_all, NULL);
 	if (atomic_read(&ip_conntrack_count) != 0) {
diff --git a/net/ipv4/netfilter/ip_conntrack_standalone.c b/net/ipv4/netfilter/ip_conntrack_standalone.c
index ca97c3ac2f2a..ee5895afd0c3 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/netfilter/ip_conntrack_standalone.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/netfilter/ip_conntrack_standalone.c
@@ -401,7 +401,6 @@ static unsigned int ip_confirm(unsigned int hooknum,
 			       const struct net_device *out,
 			       int (*okfn)(struct sk_buff *))
 {
-	ip_conntrack_event_cache_init(*pskb);
 	/* We've seen it coming out the other side: confirm it */
 	return ip_conntrack_confirm(pskb);
 }
@@ -419,7 +418,6 @@ static unsigned int ip_conntrack_help(unsigned int hooknum,
 	ct = ip_conntrack_get(*pskb, &ctinfo);
 	if (ct && ct->helper) {
 		unsigned int ret;
-		ip_conntrack_event_cache_init(*pskb);
 		ret = ct->helper->help(pskb, ct, ctinfo);
 		if (ret != NF_ACCEPT)
 			return ret;
@@ -978,6 +976,7 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(ip_conntrack_chain);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(ip_conntrack_expect_chain);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(ip_conntrack_register_notifier);
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(ip_conntrack_unregister_notifier);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(__ip_ct_event_cache_init);
 EXPORT_PER_CPU_SYMBOL_GPL(ip_conntrack_ecache);
 #endif
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(ip_conntrack_protocol_register);