diff --git a/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h b/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h
index f8751118c122..dc2d90a655e2 100644
--- a/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h
+++ b/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h
@@ -427,6 +427,7 @@ int		   svc_register(const struct svc_serv *, struct net *, const int,
 
 void		   svc_wake_up(struct svc_serv *);
 void		   svc_reserve(struct svc_rqst *rqstp, int space);
+struct svc_rqst	  *svc_pool_wake_idle_thread(struct svc_pool *pool);
 struct svc_pool   *svc_pool_for_cpu(struct svc_serv *serv);
 char *		   svc_print_addr(struct svc_rqst *, char *, size_t);
 const char *	   svc_proc_name(const struct svc_rqst *rqstp);
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/svc.c b/net/sunrpc/svc.c
index 587811a002c9..05ee92b5fa1e 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/svc.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/svc.c
@@ -689,6 +689,34 @@ svc_prepare_thread(struct svc_serv *serv, struct svc_pool *pool, int node)
 	return rqstp;
 }
 
+/**
+ * svc_pool_wake_idle_thread - Awaken an idle thread in @pool
+ * @pool: service thread pool
+ *
+ * Returns an idle service thread (now marked BUSY), or NULL
+ * if no service threads are available. Finding an idle service
+ * thread and marking it BUSY is atomic with respect to other
+ * calls to svc_pool_wake_idle_thread().
+ */
+struct svc_rqst *svc_pool_wake_idle_thread(struct svc_pool *pool)
+{
+	struct svc_rqst	*rqstp;
+
+	rcu_read_lock();
+	list_for_each_entry_rcu(rqstp, &pool->sp_all_threads, rq_all) {
+		if (test_and_set_bit(RQ_BUSY, &rqstp->rq_flags))
+			continue;
+
+		rcu_read_unlock();
+		WRITE_ONCE(rqstp->rq_qtime, ktime_get());
+		wake_up_process(rqstp->rq_task);
+		percpu_counter_inc(&pool->sp_threads_woken);
+		return rqstp;
+	}
+	rcu_read_unlock();
+	return NULL;
+}
+
 /*
  * Choose a pool in which to create a new thread, for svc_set_num_threads
  */
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/svc_xprt.c b/net/sunrpc/svc_xprt.c
index 62c7919ea610..89302bf09b77 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/svc_xprt.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/svc_xprt.c
@@ -455,8 +455,8 @@ static bool svc_xprt_ready(struct svc_xprt *xprt)
  */
 void svc_xprt_enqueue(struct svc_xprt *xprt)
 {
+	struct svc_rqst	*rqstp;
 	struct svc_pool *pool;
-	struct svc_rqst	*rqstp = NULL;
 
 	if (!svc_xprt_ready(xprt))
 		return;
@@ -476,20 +476,10 @@ void svc_xprt_enqueue(struct svc_xprt *xprt)
 	list_add_tail(&xprt->xpt_ready, &pool->sp_sockets);
 	spin_unlock_bh(&pool->sp_lock);
 
-	/* find a thread for this xprt */
-	rcu_read_lock();
-	list_for_each_entry_rcu(rqstp, &pool->sp_all_threads, rq_all) {
-		if (test_and_set_bit(RQ_BUSY, &rqstp->rq_flags))
-			continue;
-		percpu_counter_inc(&pool->sp_threads_woken);
-		rqstp->rq_qtime = ktime_get();
-		wake_up_process(rqstp->rq_task);
-		goto out_unlock;
-	}
-	set_bit(SP_CONGESTED, &pool->sp_flags);
-	rqstp = NULL;
-out_unlock:
-	rcu_read_unlock();
+	rqstp = svc_pool_wake_idle_thread(pool);
+	if (!rqstp)
+		set_bit(SP_CONGESTED, &pool->sp_flags);
+
 	trace_svc_xprt_enqueue(xprt, rqstp);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(svc_xprt_enqueue);
@@ -581,7 +571,10 @@ static void svc_xprt_release(struct svc_rqst *rqstp)
 	svc_xprt_put(xprt);
 }
 
-/*
+/**
+ * svc_wake_up - Wake up a service thread for non-transport work
+ * @serv: RPC service
+ *
  * Some svc_serv's will have occasional work to do, even when a xprt is not
  * waiting to be serviced. This function is there to "kick" a task in one of
  * those services so that it can wake up and do that work. Note that we only
@@ -590,27 +583,18 @@ static void svc_xprt_release(struct svc_rqst *rqstp)
  */
 void svc_wake_up(struct svc_serv *serv)
 {
+	struct svc_pool *pool = &serv->sv_pools[0];
 	struct svc_rqst	*rqstp;
-	struct svc_pool *pool;
 
-	pool = &serv->sv_pools[0];
-
-	rcu_read_lock();
-	list_for_each_entry_rcu(rqstp, &pool->sp_all_threads, rq_all) {
-		/* skip any that aren't queued */
-		if (test_bit(RQ_BUSY, &rqstp->rq_flags))
-			continue;
-		rcu_read_unlock();
-		wake_up_process(rqstp->rq_task);
-		trace_svc_wake_up(rqstp->rq_task->pid);
+	rqstp = svc_pool_wake_idle_thread(pool);
+	if (!rqstp) {
+		set_bit(SP_TASK_PENDING, &pool->sp_flags);
+		smp_wmb();
+		trace_svc_wake_up(0);
 		return;
 	}
-	rcu_read_unlock();
 
-	/* No free entries available */
-	set_bit(SP_TASK_PENDING, &pool->sp_flags);
-	smp_wmb();
-	trace_svc_wake_up(0);
+	trace_svc_wake_up(rqstp->rq_task->pid);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(svc_wake_up);
 
