diff --git a/drivers/block/rbd.c b/drivers/block/rbd.c
index 54a55f03115d..bf418a6afbe0 100644
--- a/drivers/block/rbd.c
+++ b/drivers/block/rbd.c
@@ -2066,97 +2066,82 @@ err:
 }
 
 /*
- * search for the previous snap in a null delimited string list
- */
-const char *rbd_prev_snap_name(const char *name, const char *start)
-{
-	if (name < start + 2)
-		return NULL;
-
-	name -= 2;
-	while (*name) {
-		if (name == start)
-			return start;
-		name--;
-	}
-	return name + 1;
-}
-
-/*
- * compare the old list of snapshots that we have to what's in the header
- * and update it accordingly. Note that the header holds the snapshots
- * in a reverse order (from newest to oldest) and we need to go from
- * older to new so that we don't get a duplicate snap name when
- * doing the process (e.g., removed snapshot and recreated a new
- * one with the same name.
+ * Scan the rbd device's current snapshot list and compare it to the
+ * newly-received snapshot context.  Remove any existing snapshots
+ * not present in the new snapshot context.  Add a new snapshot for
+ * any snaphots in the snapshot context not in the current list.
+ * And verify there are no changes to snapshots we already know
+ * about.
+ *
+ * Assumes the snapshots in the snapshot context are sorted by
+ * snapshot id, highest id first.  (Snapshots in the rbd_dev's list
+ * are also maintained in that order.)
  */
 static int __rbd_init_snaps_header(struct rbd_device *rbd_dev)
 {
-	const char *name, *first_name;
-	int i = rbd_dev->header.total_snaps;
-	struct rbd_snap *snap, *old_snap = NULL;
-	struct list_head *p, *n;
+	struct ceph_snap_context *snapc = rbd_dev->header.snapc;
+	const u32 snap_count = snapc->num_snaps;
+	char *snap_name = rbd_dev->header.snap_names;
+	struct list_head *head = &rbd_dev->snaps;
+	struct list_head *links = head->next;
+	u32 index = 0;
 
-	first_name = rbd_dev->header.snap_names;
-	name = first_name + rbd_dev->header.snap_names_len;
+	while (index < snap_count || links != head) {
+		u64 snap_id;
+		struct rbd_snap *snap;
 
-	list_for_each_prev_safe(p, n, &rbd_dev->snaps) {
-		u64 cur_id;
+		snap_id = index < snap_count ? snapc->snaps[index]
+					     : CEPH_NOSNAP;
+		snap = links != head ? list_entry(links, struct rbd_snap, node)
+				     : NULL;
+		BUG_ON(snap && snap->id == CEPH_NOSNAP);
 
-		old_snap = list_entry(p, struct rbd_snap, node);
+		if (snap_id == CEPH_NOSNAP || (snap && snap->id > snap_id)) {
+			struct list_head *next = links->next;
 
-		if (i)
-			cur_id = rbd_dev->header.snapc->snaps[i - 1];
+			/* Existing snapshot not in the new snap context */
 
-		if (!i || old_snap->id < cur_id) {
-			/*
-			 * old_snap->id was skipped, thus was
-			 * removed.  If this rbd_dev is mapped to
-			 * the removed snapshot, record that it no
-			 * longer exists, to prevent further I/O.
-			 */
-			if (rbd_dev->snap_id == old_snap->id)
+			if (rbd_dev->snap_id == snap->id)
 				rbd_dev->snap_exists = false;
-			__rbd_remove_snap_dev(old_snap);
-			continue;
-		}
-		if (old_snap->id == cur_id) {
-			/* we have this snapshot already */
-			i--;
-			name = rbd_prev_snap_name(name, first_name);
-			continue;
-		}
-		for (; i > 0;
-		     i--, name = rbd_prev_snap_name(name, first_name)) {
-			if (!name) {
-				WARN_ON(1);
-				return -EINVAL;
-			}
-			cur_id = rbd_dev->header.snapc->snaps[i];
-			/* snapshot removal? handle it above */
-			if (cur_id >= old_snap->id)
-				break;
-			/* a new snapshot */
-			snap = __rbd_add_snap_dev(rbd_dev, i - 1, name);
-			if (IS_ERR(snap))
-				return PTR_ERR(snap);
+			__rbd_remove_snap_dev(snap);
 
-			/* note that we add it backward so using n and not p */
-			list_add(&snap->node, n);
-			p = &snap->node;
+			/* Done with this list entry; advance */
+
+			links = next;
+			continue;
 		}
-	}
-	/* we're done going over the old snap list, just add what's left */
-	for (; i > 0; i--) {
-		name = rbd_prev_snap_name(name, first_name);
-		if (!name) {
-			WARN_ON(1);
-			return -EINVAL;
+
+		if (!snap || (snap_id != CEPH_NOSNAP && snap->id < snap_id)) {
+			struct rbd_snap *new_snap;
+
+			/* We haven't seen this snapshot before */
+
+			new_snap = __rbd_add_snap_dev(rbd_dev, index,
+							snap_name);
+			if (IS_ERR(new_snap))
+				return PTR_ERR(new_snap);
+
+			/* New goes before existing, or at end of list */
+
+			if (snap)
+				list_add_tail(&new_snap->node, &snap->node);
+			else
+				list_add(&new_snap->node, head);
+		} else {
+			/* Already have this one */
+
+			BUG_ON(snap->size != rbd_dev->header.snap_sizes[index]);
+			BUG_ON(strcmp(snap->name, snap_name));
+
+			/* Done with this list entry; advance */
+
+			links = links->next;
 		}
-		snap = __rbd_add_snap_dev(rbd_dev, i - 1, name);
-		if (IS_ERR(snap))
-			return PTR_ERR(snap);
-		list_add(&snap->node, &rbd_dev->snaps);
+
+		/* Advance to the next entry in the snapshot context */
+
+		index++;
+		snap_name += strlen(snap_name) + 1;
 	}
 
 	return 0;