diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/namei.c b/fs/ocfs2/namei.c
index 5819bb5d6483..879f9f36b607 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/namei.c
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/namei.c
@@ -991,6 +991,65 @@ leave:
 	return status;
 }
 
+static int ocfs2_check_if_ancestor(struct ocfs2_super *osb,
+		u64 src_inode_no, u64 dest_inode_no)
+{
+	int ret = 0, i = 0;
+	u64 parent_inode_no = 0;
+	u64 child_inode_no = src_inode_no;
+	struct inode *child_inode;
+
+#define MAX_LOOKUP_TIMES 32
+	while (1) {
+		child_inode = ocfs2_iget(osb, child_inode_no, 0, 0);
+		if (IS_ERR(child_inode)) {
+			ret = PTR_ERR(child_inode);
+			break;
+		}
+
+		ret = ocfs2_inode_lock(child_inode, NULL, 0);
+		if (ret < 0) {
+			iput(child_inode);
+			if (ret != -ENOENT)
+				mlog_errno(ret);
+			break;
+		}
+
+		ret = ocfs2_lookup_ino_from_name(child_inode, "..", 2,
+				&parent_inode_no);
+		ocfs2_inode_unlock(child_inode, 0);
+		iput(child_inode);
+		if (ret < 0) {
+			ret = -ENOENT;
+			break;
+		}
+
+		if (parent_inode_no == dest_inode_no) {
+			ret = 1;
+			break;
+		}
+
+		if (parent_inode_no == osb->root_inode->i_ino) {
+			ret = 0;
+			break;
+		}
+
+		child_inode_no = parent_inode_no;
+
+		if (++i >= MAX_LOOKUP_TIMES) {
+			mlog(ML_NOTICE, "max lookup times reached, filesystem "
+					"may have nested directories, "
+					"src inode: %llu, dest inode: %llu.\n",
+					(unsigned long long)src_inode_no,
+					(unsigned long long)dest_inode_no);
+			ret = 0;
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
 /*
  * The only place this should be used is rename!
  * if they have the same id, then the 1st one is the only one locked.
@@ -1002,6 +1061,7 @@ static int ocfs2_double_lock(struct ocfs2_super *osb,
 			     struct inode *inode2)
 {
 	int status;
+	int inode1_is_ancestor, inode2_is_ancestor;
 	struct ocfs2_inode_info *oi1 = OCFS2_I(inode1);
 	struct ocfs2_inode_info *oi2 = OCFS2_I(inode2);
 	struct buffer_head **tmpbh;
@@ -1015,9 +1075,26 @@ static int ocfs2_double_lock(struct ocfs2_super *osb,
 	if (*bh2)
 		*bh2 = NULL;
 
-	/* we always want to lock the one with the lower lockid first. */
+	/* we always want to lock the one with the lower lockid first.
+	 * and if they are nested, we lock ancestor first */
 	if (oi1->ip_blkno != oi2->ip_blkno) {
-		if (oi1->ip_blkno < oi2->ip_blkno) {
+		inode1_is_ancestor = ocfs2_check_if_ancestor(osb, oi2->ip_blkno,
+				oi1->ip_blkno);
+		if (inode1_is_ancestor < 0) {
+			status = inode1_is_ancestor;
+			goto bail;
+		}
+
+		inode2_is_ancestor = ocfs2_check_if_ancestor(osb, oi1->ip_blkno,
+				oi2->ip_blkno);
+		if (inode2_is_ancestor < 0) {
+			status = inode2_is_ancestor;
+			goto bail;
+		}
+
+		if ((inode1_is_ancestor == 1) ||
+				(oi1->ip_blkno < oi2->ip_blkno &&
+				inode2_is_ancestor == 0)) {
 			/* switch id1 and id2 around */
 			tmpbh = bh2;
 			bh2 = bh1;
@@ -1135,6 +1212,21 @@ static int ocfs2_rename(struct inode *old_dir,
 			goto bail;
 		}
 		rename_lock = 1;
+
+		/* here we cannot guarantee the inodes haven't just been
+		 * changed, so check if they are nested again */
+		status = ocfs2_check_if_ancestor(osb, new_dir->i_ino,
+				old_inode->i_ino);
+		if (status < 0) {
+			mlog_errno(status);
+			goto bail;
+		} else if (status == 1) {
+			status = -EPERM;
+			trace_ocfs2_rename_not_permitted(
+					(unsigned long long)old_inode->i_ino,
+					(unsigned long long)new_dir->i_ino);
+			goto bail;
+		}
 	}
 
 	/* if old and new are the same, this'll just do one lock. */
diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/ocfs2_trace.h b/fs/ocfs2/ocfs2_trace.h
index 1b60c62aa9d6..6cb019b7c6a8 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/ocfs2_trace.h
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/ocfs2_trace.h
@@ -2292,6 +2292,8 @@ TRACE_EVENT(ocfs2_rename,
 		  __entry->new_len, __get_str(new_name))
 );
 
+DEFINE_OCFS2_ULL_ULL_EVENT(ocfs2_rename_not_permitted);
+
 TRACE_EVENT(ocfs2_rename_target_exists,
 	TP_PROTO(int new_len, const char *new_name),
 	TP_ARGS(new_len, new_name),