diff --git a/net/smc/af_smc.c b/net/smc/af_smc.c
index ddca170..04d79d1 100644
--- a/net/smc/af_smc.c
+++ b/net/smc/af_smc.c
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ static int smcr_lgr_reg_sndbufs(struct smc_link *link,
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	/* protect against parallel smcr_link_reg_buf() */
-	mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	down_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	for (i = 0; i < SMC_LINKS_PER_LGR_MAX; i++) {
 		if (!smc_link_active(&lgr->lnk[i]))
 			continue;
@@ -506,7 +506,7 @@ static int smcr_lgr_reg_sndbufs(struct smc_link *link,
 		if (rc)
 			break;
 	}
-	mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	up_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	return rc;
 }
 
@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@ static int smcr_lgr_reg_rmbs(struct smc_link *link,
 	/* protect against parallel smc_llc_cli_rkey_exchange() and
 	 * parallel smcr_link_reg_buf()
 	 */
-	mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	down_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	for (i = 0; i < SMC_LINKS_PER_LGR_MAX; i++) {
 		if (!smc_link_active(&lgr->lnk[i]))
 			continue;
@@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ static int smcr_lgr_reg_rmbs(struct smc_link *link,
 	}
 	rmb_desc->is_conf_rkey = true;
 out:
-	mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	up_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	smc_llc_flow_stop(lgr, &lgr->llc_flow_lcl);
 	return rc;
 }
diff --git a/net/smc/smc_core.c b/net/smc/smc_core.c
index f93c69f..95d8438 100644
--- a/net/smc/smc_core.c
+++ b/net/smc/smc_core.c
@@ -1362,10 +1362,10 @@ static void smcr_buf_unuse(struct smc_buf_desc *buf_desc, bool is_rmb,
 		rc = smc_llc_flow_initiate(lgr, SMC_LLC_FLOW_RKEY);
 		if (!rc) {
 			/* protect against smc_llc_cli_rkey_exchange() */
-			mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+			down_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 			smc_llc_do_delete_rkey(lgr, buf_desc);
 			buf_desc->is_conf_rkey = false;
-			mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+			up_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 			smc_llc_flow_stop(lgr, &lgr->llc_flow_lcl);
 		}
 	}
@@ -1635,12 +1635,12 @@ static void smc_lgr_free(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
 	int i;
 
 	if (!lgr->is_smcd) {
-		mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+		down_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 		for (i = 0; i < SMC_LINKS_PER_LGR_MAX; i++) {
 			if (lgr->lnk[i].state != SMC_LNK_UNUSED)
 				smcr_link_clear(&lgr->lnk[i], false);
 		}
-		mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+		up_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 		smc_llc_lgr_clear(lgr);
 	}
 
@@ -1954,12 +1954,12 @@ static void smcr_link_down(struct smc_link *lnk)
 	} else {
 		if (lgr->llc_flow_lcl.type != SMC_LLC_FLOW_NONE) {
 			/* another llc task is ongoing */
-			mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+			up_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 			wait_event_timeout(lgr->llc_flow_waiter,
 				(list_empty(&lgr->list) ||
 				 lgr->llc_flow_lcl.type == SMC_LLC_FLOW_NONE),
 				SMC_LLC_WAIT_TIME);
-			mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+			down_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 		}
 		if (!list_empty(&lgr->list)) {
 			smc_llc_send_delete_link(to_lnk, del_link_id,
@@ -2021,9 +2021,9 @@ static void smc_link_down_work(struct work_struct *work)
 	if (list_empty(&lgr->list))
 		return;
 	wake_up_all(&lgr->llc_msg_waiter);
-	mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	down_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	smcr_link_down(link);
-	mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	up_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 }
 
 static int smc_vlan_by_tcpsk_walk(struct net_device *lower_dev,
@@ -2567,7 +2567,7 @@ static int smcr_buf_map_usable_links(struct smc_link_group *lgr,
 	int i, rc = 0;
 
 	/* protect against parallel link reconfiguration */
-	mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	down_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	for (i = 0; i < SMC_LINKS_PER_LGR_MAX; i++) {
 		struct smc_link *lnk = &lgr->lnk[i];
 
@@ -2579,7 +2579,7 @@ static int smcr_buf_map_usable_links(struct smc_link_group *lgr,
 		}
 	}
 out:
-	mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	up_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	return rc;
 }
 
diff --git a/net/smc/smc_core.h b/net/smc/smc_core.h
index 65f9460..3035ddb 100644
--- a/net/smc/smc_core.h
+++ b/net/smc/smc_core.h
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ struct smc_link_group {
 						/* queue for llc events */
 			spinlock_t		llc_event_q_lock;
 						/* protects llc_event_q */
-			struct mutex		llc_conf_mutex;
+			struct rw_semaphore	llc_conf_mutex;
 						/* protects lgr reconfig. */
 			struct work_struct	llc_add_link_work;
 			struct work_struct	llc_del_link_work;
diff --git a/net/smc/smc_llc.c b/net/smc/smc_llc.c
index 49d92e6..f563f95 100644
--- a/net/smc/smc_llc.c
+++ b/net/smc/smc_llc.c
@@ -1237,12 +1237,12 @@ static void smc_llc_process_cli_add_link(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
 
 	qentry = smc_llc_flow_qentry_clr(&lgr->llc_flow_lcl);
 
-	mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	down_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	if (smc_llc_is_local_add_link(&qentry->msg))
 		smc_llc_cli_add_link_invite(qentry->link, qentry);
 	else
 		smc_llc_cli_add_link(qentry->link, qentry);
-	mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	up_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 }
 
 static int smc_llc_active_link_count(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
@@ -1546,13 +1546,13 @@ static void smc_llc_process_srv_add_link(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
 
 	qentry = smc_llc_flow_qentry_clr(&lgr->llc_flow_lcl);
 
-	mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	down_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	rc = smc_llc_srv_add_link(link, qentry);
 	if (!rc && lgr->type == SMC_LGR_SYMMETRIC) {
 		/* delete any asymmetric link */
 		smc_llc_delete_asym_link(lgr);
 	}
-	mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	up_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	kfree(qentry);
 }
 
@@ -1619,7 +1619,7 @@ static void smc_llc_process_cli_delete_link(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
 		smc_lgr_terminate_sched(lgr);
 		goto out;
 	}
-	mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	down_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	/* delete single link */
 	for (lnk_idx = 0; lnk_idx < SMC_LINKS_PER_LGR_MAX; lnk_idx++) {
 		if (lgr->lnk[lnk_idx].link_id != del_llc->link_num)
@@ -1655,7 +1655,7 @@ static void smc_llc_process_cli_delete_link(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
 		smc_lgr_terminate_sched(lgr);
 	}
 out_unlock:
-	mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	up_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 out:
 	kfree(qentry);
 }
@@ -1691,7 +1691,7 @@ static void smc_llc_process_srv_delete_link(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
 	int active_links;
 	int i;
 
-	mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	down_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	qentry = smc_llc_flow_qentry_clr(&lgr->llc_flow_lcl);
 	lnk = qentry->link;
 	del_llc = &qentry->msg.delete_link;
@@ -1748,7 +1748,7 @@ static void smc_llc_process_srv_delete_link(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
 		smc_llc_add_link_local(lnk);
 	}
 out:
-	mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	up_write(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	kfree(qentry);
 }
 
@@ -2162,7 +2162,7 @@ void smc_llc_lgr_init(struct smc_link_group *lgr, struct smc_sock *smc)
 	spin_lock_init(&lgr->llc_flow_lock);
 	init_waitqueue_head(&lgr->llc_flow_waiter);
 	init_waitqueue_head(&lgr->llc_msg_waiter);
-	mutex_init(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
+	init_rwsem(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 	lgr->llc_testlink_time = READ_ONCE(net->ipv4.sysctl_tcp_keepalive_time);
 }
 
