diff --git a/drivers/ata/libata-core.c b/drivers/ata/libata-core.c
index ddf8e4862787..4f78741692dc 100644
--- a/drivers/ata/libata-core.c
+++ b/drivers/ata/libata-core.c
@@ -98,8 +98,6 @@ static unsigned long ata_dev_blacklisted(const struct ata_device *dev);
 
 unsigned int ata_print_id = 1;
 
-struct workqueue_struct *ata_aux_wq;
-
 struct ata_force_param {
 	const char	*name;
 	unsigned int	cbl;
@@ -5611,6 +5609,7 @@ struct ata_port *ata_port_alloc(struct ata_host *host)
 	ap->msg_enable = ATA_MSG_DRV | ATA_MSG_ERR | ATA_MSG_WARN;
 #endif
 
+	mutex_init(&ap->scsi_scan_mutex);
 	INIT_DELAYED_WORK(&ap->hotplug_task, ata_scsi_hotplug);
 	INIT_WORK(&ap->scsi_rescan_task, ata_scsi_dev_rescan);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ap->eh_done_q);
@@ -6549,29 +6548,20 @@ static int __init ata_init(void)
 
 	ata_parse_force_param();
 
-	ata_aux_wq = create_singlethread_workqueue("ata_aux");
-	if (!ata_aux_wq)
-		goto fail;
-
 	rc = ata_sff_init();
-	if (rc)
-		goto fail;
+	if (rc) {
+		kfree(ata_force_tbl);
+		return rc;
+	}
 
 	printk(KERN_DEBUG "libata version " DRV_VERSION " loaded.\n");
 	return 0;
-
-fail:
-	kfree(ata_force_tbl);
-	if (ata_aux_wq)
-		destroy_workqueue(ata_aux_wq);
-	return rc;
 }
 
 static void __exit ata_exit(void)
 {
 	ata_sff_exit();
 	kfree(ata_force_tbl);
-	destroy_workqueue(ata_aux_wq);
 }
 
 subsys_initcall(ata_init);
diff --git a/drivers/ata/libata-eh.c b/drivers/ata/libata-eh.c
index f77a67303f8b..4d2af824dd23 100644
--- a/drivers/ata/libata-eh.c
+++ b/drivers/ata/libata-eh.c
@@ -727,7 +727,7 @@ void ata_scsi_error(struct Scsi_Host *host)
 	if (ap->pflags & ATA_PFLAG_LOADING)
 		ap->pflags &= ~ATA_PFLAG_LOADING;
 	else if (ap->pflags & ATA_PFLAG_SCSI_HOTPLUG)
-		queue_delayed_work(ata_aux_wq, &ap->hotplug_task, 0);
+		schedule_delayed_work(&ap->hotplug_task, 0);
 
 	if (ap->pflags & ATA_PFLAG_RECOVERED)
 		ata_port_printk(ap, KERN_INFO, "EH complete\n");
@@ -2944,7 +2944,7 @@ static int ata_eh_revalidate_and_attach(struct ata_link *link,
 			ehc->i.flags |= ATA_EHI_SETMODE;
 
 			/* schedule the scsi_rescan_device() here */
-			queue_work(ata_aux_wq, &(ap->scsi_rescan_task));
+			schedule_work(&(ap->scsi_rescan_task));
 		} else if (dev->class == ATA_DEV_UNKNOWN &&
 			   ehc->tries[dev->devno] &&
 			   ata_class_enabled(ehc->classes[dev->devno])) {
diff --git a/drivers/ata/libata-scsi.c b/drivers/ata/libata-scsi.c
index a54273d2c3c6..d75c9c479d1a 100644
--- a/drivers/ata/libata-scsi.c
+++ b/drivers/ata/libata-scsi.c
@@ -3435,7 +3435,7 @@ void ata_scsi_scan_host(struct ata_port *ap, int sync)
 				"                  switching to async\n");
 	}
 
-	queue_delayed_work(ata_aux_wq, &ap->hotplug_task,
+	queue_delayed_work(system_long_wq, &ap->hotplug_task,
 			   round_jiffies_relative(HZ));
 }
 
@@ -3582,6 +3582,7 @@ void ata_scsi_hotplug(struct work_struct *work)
 	}
 
 	DPRINTK("ENTER\n");
+	mutex_lock(&ap->scsi_scan_mutex);
 
 	/* Unplug detached devices.  We cannot use link iterator here
 	 * because PMP links have to be scanned even if PMP is
@@ -3595,6 +3596,7 @@ void ata_scsi_hotplug(struct work_struct *work)
 	/* scan for new ones */
 	ata_scsi_scan_host(ap, 0);
 
+	mutex_unlock(&ap->scsi_scan_mutex);
 	DPRINTK("EXIT\n");
 }
 
@@ -3673,9 +3675,7 @@ static int ata_scsi_user_scan(struct Scsi_Host *shost, unsigned int channel,
  *	@work: Pointer to ATA port to perform scsi_rescan_device()
  *
  *	After ATA pass thru (SAT) commands are executed successfully,
- *	libata need to propagate the changes to SCSI layer.  This
- *	function must be executed from ata_aux_wq such that sdev
- *	attach/detach don't race with rescan.
+ *	libata need to propagate the changes to SCSI layer.
  *
  *	LOCKING:
  *	Kernel thread context (may sleep).
@@ -3688,6 +3688,7 @@ void ata_scsi_dev_rescan(struct work_struct *work)
 	struct ata_device *dev;
 	unsigned long flags;
 
+	mutex_lock(&ap->scsi_scan_mutex);
 	spin_lock_irqsave(ap->lock, flags);
 
 	ata_for_each_link(link, ap, EDGE) {
@@ -3707,6 +3708,7 @@ void ata_scsi_dev_rescan(struct work_struct *work)
 	}
 
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(ap->lock, flags);
+	mutex_unlock(&ap->scsi_scan_mutex);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/drivers/ata/libata-sff.c b/drivers/ata/libata-sff.c
index efa4a18cfb9d..674c1436491f 100644
--- a/drivers/ata/libata-sff.c
+++ b/drivers/ata/libata-sff.c
@@ -3318,14 +3318,7 @@ void ata_sff_port_init(struct ata_port *ap)
 
 int __init ata_sff_init(void)
 {
-	/*
-	 * FIXME: In UP case, there is only one workqueue thread and if you
-	 * have more than one PIO device, latency is bloody awful, with
-	 * occasional multi-second "hiccups" as one PIO device waits for
-	 * another.  It's an ugly wart that users DO occasionally complain
-	 * about; luckily most users have at most one PIO polled device.
-	 */
-	ata_sff_wq = create_workqueue("ata_sff");
+	ata_sff_wq = alloc_workqueue("ata_sff", WQ_RESCUER, WQ_MAX_ACTIVE);
 	if (!ata_sff_wq)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
diff --git a/drivers/ata/libata.h b/drivers/ata/libata.h
index 4b84ed60324a..9ce1ecc63e39 100644
--- a/drivers/ata/libata.h
+++ b/drivers/ata/libata.h
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ enum {
 };
 
 extern unsigned int ata_print_id;
-extern struct workqueue_struct *ata_aux_wq;
 extern int atapi_passthru16;
 extern int libata_fua;
 extern int libata_noacpi;
diff --git a/include/linux/libata.h b/include/linux/libata.h
index b85f3ff34d7d..f010f18a0f86 100644
--- a/include/linux/libata.h
+++ b/include/linux/libata.h
@@ -751,6 +751,7 @@ struct ata_port {
 	struct ata_host		*host;
 	struct device 		*dev;
 
+	struct mutex		scsi_scan_mutex;
 	struct delayed_work	hotplug_task;
 	struct work_struct	scsi_rescan_task;