diff --git a/drivers/staging/greybus/battery-gb.c b/drivers/staging/greybus/battery-gb.c
index 185fa2c4b55f..74698c143bdb 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/greybus/battery-gb.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/greybus/battery-gb.c
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ static enum power_supply_property battery_props[] = {
 	POWER_SUPPLY_PROP_VOLTAGE_NOW,
 };
 
-int gb_battery_device_init(struct gb_connection *connection)
+static int gb_battery_connection_init(struct gb_connection *connection)
 {
 	struct gb_battery *gb;
 	struct power_supply *b;
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ int gb_battery_device_init(struct gb_connection *connection)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-void gb_battery_device_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
+static void gb_battery_connection_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
 {
 	struct gb_battery *gb = connection->private;
 
@@ -405,6 +405,11 @@ void gb_battery_device_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
 	kfree(gb);
 }
 
+struct gb_connection_handler gb_battery_connection_handler = {
+	.connection_init	= gb_battery_connection_init,
+	.connection_exit	= gb_battery_connection_exit,
+};
+
 void gb_battery_disconnect(struct gb_module *gmod)
 {
 #if 0
diff --git a/drivers/staging/greybus/connection.c b/drivers/staging/greybus/connection.c
index 722bee4579ea..1a849ce0ae1d 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/greybus/connection.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/greybus/connection.c
@@ -277,16 +277,16 @@ int gb_connection_init(struct gb_connection *connection)
 	connection->state = GB_CONNECTION_STATE_ENABLED;
 	switch (connection->protocol) {
 	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_I2C:
-		ret = gb_i2c_device_init(connection);
+		connection->handler = &gb_i2c_connection_handler;
 		break;
 	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_GPIO:
-		ret = gb_gpio_controller_init(connection);
+		connection->handler = &gb_gpio_connection_handler;
 		break;
 	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_BATTERY:
-		ret = gb_battery_device_init(connection);
+		connection->handler = &gb_battery_connection_handler;
 		break;
 	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_UART:
-		ret = gb_uart_device_init(connection);
+		connection->handler = &gb_uart_connection_handler;
 		break;
 	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_CONTROL:
 	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_AP:
@@ -308,28 +308,10 @@ int gb_connection_init(struct gb_connection *connection)
 
 void gb_connection_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
 {
-	connection->state = GB_CONNECTION_STATE_DESTROYING;
-
-	switch (connection->protocol) {
-	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_I2C:
-		gb_i2c_device_exit(connection);
-		break;
-	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_GPIO:
-		gb_gpio_controller_exit(connection);
-		break;
-	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_BATTERY:
-		gb_battery_device_exit(connection);
-		break;
-	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_UART:
-		gb_uart_device_exit(connection);
-		break;
-	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_CONTROL:
-	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_AP:
-	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_HID:
-	case GREYBUS_PROTOCOL_VENDOR:
-	default:
-		gb_connection_err(connection, "unimplemented protocol %u",
-			(u32)connection->protocol);
-		break;
+	if (!connection->handler) {
+		gb_connection_err(connection, "uninitialized connection");
+		return;
 	}
+	connection->state = GB_CONNECTION_STATE_DESTROYING;
+	connection->handler->connection_exit(connection);
 }
diff --git a/drivers/staging/greybus/connection.h b/drivers/staging/greybus/connection.h
index 19dd91dae062..4492d2f67ec4 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/greybus/connection.h
+++ b/drivers/staging/greybus/connection.h
@@ -21,6 +21,15 @@ enum gb_connection_state {
 	GB_CONNECTION_STATE_DESTROYING	= 4,
 };
 
+struct gb_connection;
+typedef int (*gb_connection_init_t)(struct gb_connection *);
+typedef void (*gb_connection_exit_t)(struct gb_connection *);
+
+struct gb_connection_handler {
+	gb_connection_init_t	connection_init;
+	gb_connection_exit_t	connection_exit;
+};
+
 struct gb_connection {
 	struct greybus_host_device	*hd;
 	struct gb_interface		*interface;
@@ -38,6 +47,8 @@ struct gb_connection {
 	atomic_t			op_cycle;
 	struct delayed_work		timeout_work;
 
+	struct gb_connection_handler	*handler;
+
 	void				*private;
 };
 #define to_gb_connection(d) container_of(d, struct gb_connection, dev)
diff --git a/drivers/staging/greybus/gpio-gb.c b/drivers/staging/greybus/gpio-gb.c
index 8781f816d968..6ba1f633a436 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/greybus/gpio-gb.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/greybus/gpio-gb.c
@@ -732,7 +732,7 @@ static int gb_gpio_controller_setup(struct gb_gpio_controller *gb_gpio_controlle
 	return ret;
 }
 
-int gb_gpio_controller_init(struct gb_connection *connection)
+static int gb_gpio_connection_init(struct gb_connection *connection)
 {
 	struct gb_gpio_controller *gb_gpio_controller;
 	struct gpio_chip *gpio;
@@ -780,7 +780,7 @@ out_err:
 	return ret;
 }
 
-void gb_gpio_controller_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
+static void gb_gpio_connection_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
 {
 	struct gb_gpio_controller *gb_gpio_controller = connection->private;
 
@@ -792,6 +792,11 @@ void gb_gpio_controller_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
 	kfree(gb_gpio_controller);
 }
 
+struct gb_connection_handler gb_gpio_connection_handler = {
+	.connection_init	= gb_gpio_connection_init,
+	.connection_exit	= gb_gpio_connection_exit,
+};
+
 #if 0
 MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
 MODULE_DESCRIPTION("Greybus GPIO driver");
diff --git a/drivers/staging/greybus/greybus.h b/drivers/staging/greybus/greybus.h
index deb34f1d5fbf..f907e0fe7fc9 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/greybus/greybus.h
+++ b/drivers/staging/greybus/greybus.h
@@ -266,14 +266,10 @@ void gb_deregister_cport_complete(u16 cport_id);
 extern struct bus_type greybus_bus_type;
 extern const struct attribute_group *greybus_module_groups[];
 
-int gb_i2c_device_init(struct gb_connection *connection);
-void gb_i2c_device_exit(struct gb_connection *connection);
-
-int gb_battery_device_init(struct gb_connection *connection);
-void gb_battery_device_exit(struct gb_connection *connection);
-
-int gb_gpio_controller_init(struct gb_connection *connection);
-void gb_gpio_controller_exit(struct gb_connection *connection);
+extern struct gb_connection_handler gb_i2c_connection_handler;
+extern struct gb_connection_handler gb_gpio_connection_handler;
+extern struct gb_connection_handler gb_battery_connection_handler;
+extern struct gb_connection_handler gb_uart_connection_handler;
 
 int gb_uart_device_init(struct gb_connection *connection);
 void gb_uart_device_exit(struct gb_connection *connection);
diff --git a/drivers/staging/greybus/i2c-gb.c b/drivers/staging/greybus/i2c-gb.c
index e20801169b8d..5d3e2f2061b0 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/greybus/i2c-gb.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/greybus/i2c-gb.c
@@ -466,7 +466,7 @@ static int gb_i2c_device_setup(struct gb_i2c_device *gb_i2c_dev)
 	return gb_i2c_timeout_operation(gb_i2c_dev, GB_I2C_TIMEOUT_DEFAULT);
 }
 
-int gb_i2c_device_init(struct gb_connection *connection)
+static int gb_i2c_connection_init(struct gb_connection *connection)
 {
 	struct gb_i2c_device *gb_i2c_dev;
 	struct i2c_adapter *adapter;
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ out_err:
 	return ret;
 }
 
-void gb_i2c_device_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
+static void gb_i2c_connection_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
 {
 	struct gb_i2c_device *gb_i2c_dev = connection->private;
 
@@ -518,6 +518,11 @@ void gb_i2c_device_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
 	kfree(gb_i2c_dev);
 }
 
+struct gb_connection_handler gb_i2c_connection_handler = {
+	.connection_init	= gb_i2c_connection_init,
+	.connection_exit	= gb_i2c_connection_exit,
+};
+
 #if 0
 module_greybus_driver(i2c_gb_driver);
 MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
diff --git a/drivers/staging/greybus/uart-gb.c b/drivers/staging/greybus/uart-gb.c
index 7c9229da77e4..370a78fb231f 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/greybus/uart-gb.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/greybus/uart-gb.c
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ static const struct tty_operations gb_ops = {
 };
 
 
-int gb_uart_device_init(struct gb_connection *connection)
+int gb_uart_connection_init(struct gb_connection *connection)
 {
 	struct gb_tty *gb_tty;
 	struct device *tty_dev;
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@ error:
 	return retval;
 }
 
-void gb_uart_device_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
+void gb_uart_connection_exit(struct gb_connection *connection)
 {
 	struct gb_tty *gb_tty = connection->private;
 	struct tty_struct *tty;
@@ -524,3 +524,8 @@ static void gb_tty_exit(void)
 	put_tty_driver(gb_tty_driver);
 	unregister_chrdev_region(MKDEV(major, minor), GB_NUM_MINORS);
 }
+
+struct gb_connection_handler gb_uart_connection_handler = {
+	.connection_init	= gb_uart_connection_init,
+	.connection_exit	= gb_uart_connection_exit,
+};