diff --git a/net/rds/connection.c b/net/rds/connection.c
index 7619b67..895e39c 100644
--- a/net/rds/connection.c
+++ b/net/rds/connection.c
@@ -263,6 +263,59 @@
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(rds_conn_create_outgoing);
 
+void rds_conn_shutdown(struct rds_connection *conn)
+{
+	/* shut it down unless it's down already */
+	if (!rds_conn_transition(conn, RDS_CONN_DOWN, RDS_CONN_DOWN)) {
+		/*
+		 * Quiesce the connection mgmt handlers before we start tearing
+		 * things down. We don't hold the mutex for the entire
+		 * duration of the shutdown operation, else we may be
+		 * deadlocking with the CM handler. Instead, the CM event
+		 * handler is supposed to check for state DISCONNECTING
+		 */
+		mutex_lock(&conn->c_cm_lock);
+		if (!rds_conn_transition(conn, RDS_CONN_UP, RDS_CONN_DISCONNECTING)
+		 && !rds_conn_transition(conn, RDS_CONN_ERROR, RDS_CONN_DISCONNECTING)) {
+			rds_conn_error(conn, "shutdown called in state %d\n",
+					atomic_read(&conn->c_state));
+			mutex_unlock(&conn->c_cm_lock);
+			return;
+		}
+		mutex_unlock(&conn->c_cm_lock);
+
+		mutex_lock(&conn->c_send_lock);
+		conn->c_trans->conn_shutdown(conn);
+		rds_conn_reset(conn);
+		mutex_unlock(&conn->c_send_lock);
+
+		if (!rds_conn_transition(conn, RDS_CONN_DISCONNECTING, RDS_CONN_DOWN)) {
+			/* This can happen - eg when we're in the middle of tearing
+			 * down the connection, and someone unloads the rds module.
+			 * Quite reproduceable with loopback connections.
+			 * Mostly harmless.
+			 */
+			rds_conn_error(conn,
+				"%s: failed to transition to state DOWN, "
+				"current state is %d\n",
+				__func__,
+				atomic_read(&conn->c_state));
+			return;
+		}
+	}
+
+	/* Then reconnect if it's still live.
+	 * The passive side of an IB loopback connection is never added
+	 * to the conn hash, so we never trigger a reconnect on this
+	 * conn - the reconnect is always triggered by the active peer. */
+	cancel_delayed_work_sync(&conn->c_conn_w);
+	if (!hlist_unhashed(&conn->c_hash_node))
+		rds_queue_reconnect(conn);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Stop and free a connection.
+ */
 void rds_conn_destroy(struct rds_connection *conn)
 {
 	struct rds_message *rm, *rtmp;
diff --git a/net/rds/rds.h b/net/rds/rds.h
index c224b5b..1d3eef6 100644
--- a/net/rds/rds.h
+++ b/net/rds/rds.h
@@ -527,6 +527,7 @@
 				       struct rds_transport *trans, gfp_t gfp);
 struct rds_connection *rds_conn_create_outgoing(__be32 laddr, __be32 faddr,
 			       struct rds_transport *trans, gfp_t gfp);
+void rds_conn_shutdown(struct rds_connection *conn);
 void rds_conn_destroy(struct rds_connection *conn);
 void rds_conn_reset(struct rds_connection *conn);
 void rds_conn_drop(struct rds_connection *conn);
@@ -681,6 +682,7 @@
 int __init rds_threads_init(void);
 void rds_threads_exit(void);
 extern struct workqueue_struct *rds_wq;
+void rds_queue_reconnect(struct rds_connection *conn);
 void rds_connect_worker(struct work_struct *);
 void rds_shutdown_worker(struct work_struct *);
 void rds_send_worker(struct work_struct *);
diff --git a/net/rds/threads.c b/net/rds/threads.c
index 786c20e..6e2e43d 100644
--- a/net/rds/threads.c
+++ b/net/rds/threads.c
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@
  * We should *always* start with a random backoff; otherwise a broken connection
  * will always take several iterations to be re-established.
  */
-static void rds_queue_reconnect(struct rds_connection *conn)
+void rds_queue_reconnect(struct rds_connection *conn)
 {
 	unsigned long rand;
 
@@ -156,58 +156,6 @@
 	}
 }
 
-void rds_shutdown_worker(struct work_struct *work)
-{
-	struct rds_connection *conn = container_of(work, struct rds_connection, c_down_w);
-
-	/* shut it down unless it's down already */
-	if (!rds_conn_transition(conn, RDS_CONN_DOWN, RDS_CONN_DOWN)) {
-		/*
-		 * Quiesce the connection mgmt handlers before we start tearing
-		 * things down. We don't hold the mutex for the entire
-		 * duration of the shutdown operation, else we may be
-		 * deadlocking with the CM handler. Instead, the CM event
-		 * handler is supposed to check for state DISCONNECTING
-		 */
-		mutex_lock(&conn->c_cm_lock);
-		if (!rds_conn_transition(conn, RDS_CONN_UP, RDS_CONN_DISCONNECTING) &&
-		    !rds_conn_transition(conn, RDS_CONN_ERROR, RDS_CONN_DISCONNECTING)) {
-			rds_conn_error(conn, "shutdown called in state %d\n",
-					atomic_read(&conn->c_state));
-			mutex_unlock(&conn->c_cm_lock);
-			return;
-		}
-		mutex_unlock(&conn->c_cm_lock);
-
-		mutex_lock(&conn->c_send_lock);
-		conn->c_trans->conn_shutdown(conn);
-		rds_conn_reset(conn);
-		mutex_unlock(&conn->c_send_lock);
-
-		if (!rds_conn_transition(conn, RDS_CONN_DISCONNECTING, RDS_CONN_DOWN)) {
-			/* This can happen - eg when we're in the middle of tearing
-			 * down the connection, and someone unloads the rds module.
-			 * Quite reproduceable with loopback connections.
-			 * Mostly harmless.
-			 */
-			rds_conn_error(conn,
-				"%s: failed to transition to state DOWN, "
-				"current state is %d\n",
-				__func__,
-				atomic_read(&conn->c_state));
-			return;
-		}
-	}
-
-	/* Then reconnect if it's still live.
-	 * The passive side of an IB loopback connection is never added
-	 * to the conn hash, so we never trigger a reconnect on this
-	 * conn - the reconnect is always triggered by the active peer. */
-	cancel_delayed_work(&conn->c_conn_w);
-	if (!hlist_unhashed(&conn->c_hash_node))
-		rds_queue_reconnect(conn);
-}
-
 void rds_send_worker(struct work_struct *work)
 {
 	struct rds_connection *conn = container_of(work, struct rds_connection, c_send_w.work);
@@ -252,6 +200,13 @@
 	}
 }
 
+void rds_shutdown_worker(struct work_struct *work)
+{
+	struct rds_connection *conn = container_of(work, struct rds_connection, c_down_w);
+
+	rds_conn_shutdown(conn);
+}
+
 void rds_threads_exit(void)
 {
 	destroy_workqueue(rds_wq);