diff --git a/net/lnet/libcfs/tracefile.c b/net/lnet/libcfs/tracefile.c
index 731623b..b1a2f3e 100644
--- a/net/lnet/libcfs/tracefile.c
+++ b/net/lnet/libcfs/tracefile.c
@@ -61,9 +61,8 @@ enum cfs_trace_buf_type {
 
 char cfs_tracefile[TRACEFILE_NAME_SIZE];
 long long cfs_tracefile_size = CFS_TRACEFILE_SIZE;
-static struct tracefiled_ctl trace_tctl;
-static DEFINE_MUTEX(cfs_trace_thread_mutex);
-static int thread_running;
+
+struct task_struct *tctl_task;
 
 static atomic_t cfs_tage_allocated = ATOMIC_INIT(0);
 static DECLARE_RWSEM(cfs_tracefile_sem);
@@ -78,14 +77,6 @@ struct page_collection {
 	int			pc_want_daemon_pages;
 };
 
-struct tracefiled_ctl {
-	struct completion	tctl_start;
-	struct completion	tctl_stop;
-	wait_queue_head_t	tctl_waitq;
-	pid_t			tctl_pid;
-	atomic_t		tctl_shutdown;
-};
-
 /*
  * small data-structure for each page owned by tracefiled.
  */
@@ -244,6 +235,7 @@ static void cfs_tage_to_tail(struct cfs_trace_page *tage,
 cfs_trace_get_tage_try(struct cfs_trace_cpu_data *tcd, unsigned long len)
 {
 	struct cfs_trace_page *tage;
+	struct task_struct *tsk;
 
 	if (tcd->tcd_cur_pages > 0) {
 		__LASSERT(!list_empty(&tcd->tcd_pages));
@@ -274,12 +266,10 @@ static void cfs_tage_to_tail(struct cfs_trace_page *tage,
 		list_add_tail(&tage->linkage, &tcd->tcd_pages);
 		tcd->tcd_cur_pages++;
 
-		if (tcd->tcd_cur_pages > 8 && thread_running) {
-			struct tracefiled_ctl *tctl = &trace_tctl;
-			/*
-			 * wake up tracefiled to process some pages.
+		if (tcd->tcd_cur_pages > 8 && tsk) {
+			/* wake up tracefiled to process some pages.
 			 */
-			wake_up(&tctl->tctl_waitq);
+			wake_up_process(tsk);
 		}
 		return tage;
 	}
@@ -332,7 +322,7 @@ static struct cfs_trace_page *cfs_trace_get_tage(struct cfs_trace_cpu_data *tcd,
 	tage = cfs_trace_get_tage_try(tcd, len);
 	if (tage)
 		return tage;
-	if (thread_running)
+	if (tctl_task)
 		cfs_tcd_shrink(tcd);
 	if (tcd->tcd_cur_pages > 0) {
 		tage = cfs_tage_from_list(tcd->tcd_pages.next);
@@ -1075,7 +1065,6 @@ int cfs_trace_get_debug_mb(void)
 static int tracefiled(void *arg)
 {
 	struct page_collection pc;
-	struct tracefiled_ctl *tctl = arg;
 	struct cfs_trace_page *tage;
 	struct cfs_trace_page *tmp;
 	struct file *filp;
@@ -1083,21 +1072,13 @@ static int tracefiled(void *arg)
 	int last_loop = 0;
 	int rc;
 
-	/* we're started late enough that we pick up init's fs context */
-	/* this is so broken in uml?  what on earth is going on? */
-
-	complete(&tctl->tctl_start);
-
 	pc.pc_want_daemon_pages = 0;
 
 	while (!last_loop) {
-		wait_event_timeout(tctl->tctl_waitq,
-				   ({ collect_pages(&pc);
-				     !list_empty(&pc.pc_pages); }) ||
-				   atomic_read(&tctl->tctl_shutdown),
-				   HZ);
-		if (atomic_read(&tctl->tctl_shutdown))
+		schedule_timeout_interruptible(HZ);
+		if (kthread_should_stop())
 			last_loop = 1;
+		collect_pages(&pc);
 		if (list_empty(&pc.pc_pages))
 			continue;
 
@@ -1168,50 +1149,39 @@ static int tracefiled(void *arg)
 		}
 		__LASSERT(list_empty(&pc.pc_pages));
 	}
-	complete(&tctl->tctl_stop);
+
 	return 0;
 }
 
 int cfs_trace_start_thread(void)
 {
-	struct tracefiled_ctl *tctl = &trace_tctl;
-	struct task_struct *task;
+	struct task_struct *tsk;
 	int rc = 0;
 
-	mutex_lock(&cfs_trace_thread_mutex);
-	if (thread_running)
-		goto out;
-
-	init_completion(&tctl->tctl_start);
-	init_completion(&tctl->tctl_stop);
-	init_waitqueue_head(&tctl->tctl_waitq);
-	atomic_set(&tctl->tctl_shutdown, 0);
+	if (tctl_task)
+		return 0;
 
-	task = kthread_run(tracefiled, tctl, "ktracefiled");
-	if (IS_ERR(task)) {
-		rc = PTR_ERR(task);
-		goto out;
-	}
+	tsk = kthread_create(tracefiled, NULL, "ktracefiled");
+	if (IS_ERR(tsk))
+		rc = PTR_ERR(tsk);
+	else if (cmpxchg(&tctl_task, NULL, tsk))
+		/* already running */
+		kthread_stop(tsk);
+	else
+		wake_up_process(tsk);
 
-	wait_for_completion(&tctl->tctl_start);
-	thread_running = 1;
-out:
-	mutex_unlock(&cfs_trace_thread_mutex);
 	return rc;
 }
 
 void cfs_trace_stop_thread(void)
 {
-	struct tracefiled_ctl *tctl = &trace_tctl;
+	struct task_struct *tsk;
 
-	mutex_lock(&cfs_trace_thread_mutex);
-	if (thread_running) {
+	tsk = xchg(&tctl_task, NULL);
+	if (tsk) {
 		pr_info("shutting down debug daemon thread...\n");
-		atomic_set(&tctl->tctl_shutdown, 1);
-		wait_for_completion(&tctl->tctl_stop);
-		thread_running = 0;
+		kthread_stop(tsk);
 	}
-	mutex_unlock(&cfs_trace_thread_mutex);
 }
 
 /* percents to share the total debug memory for each type */
