diff --git a/include/linux/sunrpc/clnt.h b/include/linux/sunrpc/clnt.h
index a4661646adc9..6323518e7b1c 100644
--- a/include/linux/sunrpc/clnt.h
+++ b/include/linux/sunrpc/clnt.h
@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ struct rpc_add_xprt_test {
 #define RPC_CLNT_CREATE_NO_RETRANS_TIMEOUT	(1UL << 9)
 #define RPC_CLNT_CREATE_SOFTERR		(1UL << 10)
 #define RPC_CLNT_CREATE_REUSEPORT	(1UL << 11)
+#define RPC_CLNT_CREATE_NO_NET_REF	(1UL << 12)
 
 struct rpc_clnt *rpc_create(struct rpc_create_args *args);
 struct rpc_clnt	*rpc_bind_new_program(struct rpc_clnt *,
diff --git a/include/linux/sunrpc/xprt.h b/include/linux/sunrpc/xprt.h
index 955ea4d7af0b..cc518a58b93c 100644
--- a/include/linux/sunrpc/xprt.h
+++ b/include/linux/sunrpc/xprt.h
@@ -284,6 +284,7 @@ struct rpc_xprt {
 	} stat;
 
 	struct net		*xprt_net;
+	bool			xprt_net_refcnt;
 	const char		*servername;
 	const char		*address_strings[RPC_DISPLAY_MAX];
 #if IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SUNRPC_DEBUG)
@@ -317,6 +318,7 @@ static inline int bc_prealloc(struct rpc_rqst *req)
 
 #define XPRT_CREATE_INFINITE_SLOTS	(1U)
 #define XPRT_CREATE_NO_IDLE_TIMEOUT	(1U << 1)
+#define XPRT_CREATE_NO_NET_REF		(1U << 2)
 
 struct xprt_create {
 	int			ident;		/* XPRT_TRANSPORT identifier */
@@ -370,8 +372,8 @@ void			xprt_release(struct rpc_task *task);
 struct rpc_xprt *	xprt_get(struct rpc_xprt *xprt);
 void			xprt_put(struct rpc_xprt *xprt);
 struct rpc_xprt *	xprt_alloc(struct net *net, size_t size,
-				unsigned int num_prealloc,
-				unsigned int max_req);
+				   unsigned int num_prealloc,
+				   unsigned int max_req, bool xprt_net_refcnt);
 void			xprt_free(struct rpc_xprt *);
 void			xprt_add_backlog(struct rpc_xprt *xprt, struct rpc_task *task);
 bool			xprt_wake_up_backlog(struct rpc_xprt *xprt, struct rpc_rqst *req);
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/gss_rpc_upcall.c b/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/gss_rpc_upcall.c
index 61c276bddaf2..8c35805470d5 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/gss_rpc_upcall.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/gss_rpc_upcall.c
@@ -98,7 +98,8 @@ static int gssp_rpc_create(struct net *net, struct rpc_clnt **_clnt)
 		 * done without the correct namespace:
 		 */
 		.flags		= RPC_CLNT_CREATE_NOPING |
-				  RPC_CLNT_CREATE_NO_IDLE_TIMEOUT
+				  RPC_CLNT_CREATE_NO_IDLE_TIMEOUT |
+				  RPC_CLNT_CREATE_NO_NET_REF
 	};
 	struct rpc_clnt *clnt;
 	int result = 0;
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/clnt.c b/net/sunrpc/clnt.c
index f056ff931444..672bebae50ca 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/clnt.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/clnt.c
@@ -543,6 +543,8 @@ struct rpc_clnt *rpc_create(struct rpc_create_args *args)
 		xprtargs.flags |= XPRT_CREATE_INFINITE_SLOTS;
 	if (args->flags & RPC_CLNT_CREATE_NO_IDLE_TIMEOUT)
 		xprtargs.flags |= XPRT_CREATE_NO_IDLE_TIMEOUT;
+	if (args->flags & RPC_CLNT_CREATE_NO_NET_REF)
+		xprtargs.flags |= XPRT_CREATE_NO_NET_REF;
 	/*
 	 * If the caller chooses not to specify a hostname, whip
 	 * up a string representation of the passed-in address.
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/xprt.c b/net/sunrpc/xprt.c
index cfd681700d1a..ffa6de06f21b 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/xprt.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/xprt.c
@@ -1794,8 +1794,8 @@ static void xprt_free_id(struct rpc_xprt *xprt)
 }
 
 struct rpc_xprt *xprt_alloc(struct net *net, size_t size,
-		unsigned int num_prealloc,
-		unsigned int max_alloc)
+			    unsigned int num_prealloc,
+			    unsigned int max_alloc, bool xprt_net_refcnt)
 {
 	struct rpc_xprt *xprt;
 	struct rpc_rqst *req;
@@ -1806,6 +1806,7 @@ struct rpc_xprt *xprt_alloc(struct net *net, size_t size,
 		goto out;
 
 	xprt_alloc_id(xprt);
+	xprt->xprt_net_refcnt = xprt_net_refcnt;
 	xprt_init(xprt, net);
 
 	for (i = 0; i < num_prealloc; i++) {
@@ -1832,7 +1833,8 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(xprt_alloc);
 
 void xprt_free(struct rpc_xprt *xprt)
 {
-	put_net(xprt->xprt_net);
+	if (xprt->xprt_net_refcnt)
+		put_net(xprt->xprt_net);
 	xprt_free_all_slots(xprt);
 	xprt_free_id(xprt);
 	rpc_sysfs_xprt_destroy(xprt);
@@ -2024,7 +2026,10 @@ static void xprt_init(struct rpc_xprt *xprt, struct net *net)
 
 	xprt_init_xid(xprt);
 
-	xprt->xprt_net = get_net(net);
+	if (xprt->xprt_net_refcnt)
+		xprt->xprt_net = get_net(net);
+	else
+		xprt->xprt_net = net;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/svc_rdma_backchannel.c b/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/svc_rdma_backchannel.c
index 16897fcb659c..8cd7a38da0f0 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/svc_rdma_backchannel.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/svc_rdma_backchannel.c
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ xprt_setup_rdma_bc(struct xprt_create *args)
 
 	xprt = xprt_alloc(args->net, sizeof(*new_xprt),
 			  RPCRDMA_MAX_BC_REQUESTS,
-			  RPCRDMA_MAX_BC_REQUESTS);
+			  RPCRDMA_MAX_BC_REQUESTS, true);
 	if (!xprt)
 		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/transport.c b/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/transport.c
index 16e5696314a4..f0f7faa571f6 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/transport.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/transport.c
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ xprt_setup_rdma(struct xprt_create *args)
 		return ERR_PTR(-EIO);
 
 	xprt = xprt_alloc(args->net, sizeof(struct rpcrdma_xprt), 0,
-			  xprt_rdma_slot_table_entries);
+			  xprt_rdma_slot_table_entries, true);
 	if (!xprt) {
 		module_put(THIS_MODULE);
 		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/xprtsock.c b/net/sunrpc/xprtsock.c
index 04f1b78bcbca..b6c15159992a 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/xprtsock.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/xprtsock.c
@@ -2740,6 +2740,8 @@ static struct rpc_xprt *xs_setup_xprt(struct xprt_create *args,
 {
 	struct rpc_xprt *xprt;
 	struct sock_xprt *new;
+	bool xprt_net_refcnt = args->flags & XPRT_CREATE_NO_NET_REF ?
+			       false : true;
 
 	if (args->addrlen > sizeof(xprt->addr)) {
 		dprintk("RPC:       xs_setup_xprt: address too large\n");
@@ -2747,7 +2749,7 @@ static struct rpc_xprt *xs_setup_xprt(struct xprt_create *args,
 	}
 
 	xprt = xprt_alloc(args->net, sizeof(*new), slot_table_size,
-			max_slot_table_size);
+			  max_slot_table_size, xprt_net_refcnt);
 	if (xprt == NULL) {
 		dprintk("RPC:       xs_setup_xprt: couldn't allocate "
 				"rpc_xprt\n");
