diff --git a/fs/sysfs/dir.c b/fs/sysfs/dir.c
index 97954c69ff0e..f05f2303a8b8 100644
--- a/fs/sysfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/sysfs/dir.c
@@ -760,30 +760,42 @@ void sysfs_remove_dir(struct kobject * kobj)
 	__sysfs_remove_dir(sd);
 }
 
-int sysfs_rename_dir(struct kobject * kobj, const char *new_name)
+int sysfs_rename(struct sysfs_dirent *sd,
+	struct sysfs_dirent *new_parent_sd, const char *new_name)
 {
-	struct sysfs_dirent *sd = kobj->sd;
 	const char *dup_name = NULL;
 	int error;
 
 	mutex_lock(&sysfs_mutex);
 
 	error = 0;
-	if (strcmp(sd->s_name, new_name) == 0)
+	if ((sd->s_parent == new_parent_sd) &&
+	    (strcmp(sd->s_name, new_name) == 0))
 		goto out;	/* nothing to rename */
 
 	error = -EEXIST;
-	if (sysfs_find_dirent(sd->s_parent, new_name))
+	if (sysfs_find_dirent(new_parent_sd, new_name))
 		goto out;
 
 	/* rename sysfs_dirent */
-	error = -ENOMEM;
-	new_name = dup_name = kstrdup(new_name, GFP_KERNEL);
-	if (!new_name)
-		goto out;
+	if (strcmp(sd->s_name, new_name) != 0) {
+		error = -ENOMEM;
+		new_name = dup_name = kstrdup(new_name, GFP_KERNEL);
+		if (!new_name)
+			goto out;
 
-	dup_name = sd->s_name;
-	sd->s_name = new_name;
+		dup_name = sd->s_name;
+		sd->s_name = new_name;
+	}
+
+	/* Remove from old parent's list and insert into new parent's list. */
+	if (sd->s_parent != new_parent_sd) {
+		sysfs_unlink_sibling(sd);
+		sysfs_get(new_parent_sd);
+		sysfs_put(sd->s_parent);
+		sd->s_parent = new_parent_sd;
+		sysfs_link_sibling(sd);
+	}
 
 	error = 0;
  out:
@@ -792,37 +804,21 @@ int sysfs_rename_dir(struct kobject * kobj, const char *new_name)
 	return error;
 }
 
+int sysfs_rename_dir(struct kobject *kobj, const char *new_name)
+{
+	return sysfs_rename(kobj->sd, kobj->sd->s_parent, new_name);
+}
+
 int sysfs_move_dir(struct kobject *kobj, struct kobject *new_parent_kobj)
 {
 	struct sysfs_dirent *sd = kobj->sd;
 	struct sysfs_dirent *new_parent_sd;
-	int error;
 
 	BUG_ON(!sd->s_parent);
-
-	mutex_lock(&sysfs_mutex);
-	new_parent_sd = (new_parent_kobj && new_parent_kobj->sd) ?
+	new_parent_sd = new_parent_kobj && new_parent_kobj->sd ?
 		new_parent_kobj->sd : &sysfs_root;
 
-	error = 0;
-	if (sd->s_parent == new_parent_sd)
-		goto out;	/* nothing to move */
-
-	error = -EEXIST;
-	if (sysfs_find_dirent(new_parent_sd, sd->s_name))
-		goto out;
-
-	/* Remove from old parent's list and insert into new parent's list. */
-	sysfs_unlink_sibling(sd);
-	sysfs_get(new_parent_sd);
-	sysfs_put(sd->s_parent);
-	sd->s_parent = new_parent_sd;
-	sysfs_link_sibling(sd);
-
-	error = 0;
-out:
-	mutex_unlock(&sysfs_mutex);
-	return error;
+	return sysfs_rename(sd, new_parent_sd, sd->s_name);
 }
 
 /* Relationship between s_mode and the DT_xxx types */
diff --git a/fs/sysfs/sysfs.h b/fs/sysfs/sysfs.h
index 98a15bf1efe1..ca52e7b9d8f8 100644
--- a/fs/sysfs/sysfs.h
+++ b/fs/sysfs/sysfs.h
@@ -130,6 +130,9 @@ int sysfs_create_subdir(struct kobject *kobj, const char *name,
 			struct sysfs_dirent **p_sd);
 void sysfs_remove_subdir(struct sysfs_dirent *sd);
 
+int sysfs_rename(struct sysfs_dirent *sd,
+	struct sysfs_dirent *new_parent_sd, const char *new_name);
+
 static inline struct sysfs_dirent *__sysfs_get(struct sysfs_dirent *sd)
 {
 	if (sd) {