diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/include/linux/lnet/lib-types.h b/drivers/staging/lustre/include/linux/lnet/lib-types.h
index c10f03bc0d01..07b8db17b1c4 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/include/linux/lnet/lib-types.h
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/include/linux/lnet/lib-types.h
@@ -396,7 +396,10 @@ typedef struct {
 	struct list_head	rbp_msgs;	/* messages blocking
 						   for a buffer */
 	int			rbp_npages;	/* # pages in each buffer */
-	int			rbp_nbuffers;	/* # buffers */
+	/* requested number of buffers */
+	int			rbp_req_nbuffers;
+	/* # buffers actually allocated */
+	int			rbp_nbuffers;
 	int			rbp_credits;	/* # free buffers /
 						     blocked messages */
 	int			rbp_mincredits;	/* low water mark */
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lnet/lnet/lib-move.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lnet/lnet/lib-move.c
index e5a8dbc0a063..7bc3e91e7860 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lnet/lnet/lib-move.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lnet/lnet/lib-move.c
@@ -1113,9 +1113,10 @@ lnet_return_rx_credits_locked(lnet_msg_t *msg)
 		 * buffers in this pool.  Make sure we never put back
 		 * more buffers than the stated number.
 		 */
-		if (rbp->rbp_credits >= rbp->rbp_nbuffers) {
+		if (unlikely(rbp->rbp_credits >= rbp->rbp_req_nbuffers)) {
 			/* Discard this buffer so we don't have too many. */
 			lnet_destroy_rtrbuf(rb, rbp->rbp_npages);
+			rbp->rbp_nbuffers--;
 		} else {
 			list_add(&rb->rb_list, &rbp->rbp_bufs);
 			rbp->rbp_credits++;
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lnet/lnet/router.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lnet/lnet/router.c
index c1e7bc5e60fc..198ff03156c1 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lnet/lnet/router.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lnet/lnet/router.c
@@ -1359,6 +1359,7 @@ lnet_rtrpool_free_bufs(lnet_rtrbufpool_t *rbp, int cpt)
 	lnet_net_lock(cpt);
 	lnet_drop_routed_msgs_locked(&rbp->rbp_msgs, cpt);
 	list_splice_init(&rbp->rbp_bufs, &tmp);
+	rbp->rbp_req_nbuffers = 0;
 	rbp->rbp_nbuffers = 0;
 	rbp->rbp_credits = 0;
 	rbp->rbp_mincredits = 0;
@@ -1379,20 +1380,33 @@ lnet_rtrpool_adjust_bufs(lnet_rtrbufpool_t *rbp, int nbufs, int cpt)
 	lnet_rtrbuf_t *rb;
 	int num_rb;
 	int num_buffers = 0;
+	int old_req_nbufs;
 	int npages = rbp->rbp_npages;
 
+	lnet_net_lock(cpt);
 	/*
 	 * If we are called for less buffers than already in the pool, we
-	 * just lower the nbuffers number and excess buffers will be
+	 * just lower the req_nbuffers number and excess buffers will be
 	 * thrown away as they are returned to the free list.  Credits
 	 * then get adjusted as well.
+	 * If we already have enough buffers allocated to serve the
+	 * increase requested, then we can treat that the same way as we
+	 * do the decrease.
 	 */
-	if (nbufs <= rbp->rbp_nbuffers) {
-		lnet_net_lock(cpt);
-		rbp->rbp_nbuffers = nbufs;
+	num_rb = nbufs - rbp->rbp_nbuffers;
+	if (nbufs <= rbp->rbp_req_nbuffers || num_rb <= 0) {
+		rbp->rbp_req_nbuffers = nbufs;
 		lnet_net_unlock(cpt);
 		return 0;
 	}
+	/*
+	 * store the older value of rbp_req_nbuffers and then set it to
+	 * the new request to prevent lnet_return_rx_credits_locked() from
+	 * freeing buffers that we need to keep around
+	 */
+	old_req_nbufs = rbp->rbp_req_nbuffers;
+	rbp->rbp_req_nbuffers = nbufs;
+	lnet_net_unlock(cpt);
 
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&rb_list);
 
@@ -1401,19 +1415,21 @@ lnet_rtrpool_adjust_bufs(lnet_rtrbufpool_t *rbp, int nbufs, int cpt)
 	 * allocated successfully then join this list to the rbp buffer
 	 * list. If not then free all allocated buffers.
 	 */
-	num_rb = rbp->rbp_nbuffers;
-
-	while (num_rb < nbufs) {
+	while (num_rb-- > 0) {
 		rb = lnet_new_rtrbuf(rbp, cpt);
 		if (!rb) {
 			CERROR("Failed to allocate %d route bufs of %d pages\n",
 			       nbufs, npages);
+
+			lnet_net_lock(cpt);
+			rbp->rbp_req_nbuffers = old_req_nbufs;
+			lnet_net_unlock(cpt);
+
 			goto failed;
 		}
 
 		list_add(&rb->rb_list, &rb_list);
 		num_buffers++;
-		num_rb++;
 	}
 
 	lnet_net_lock(cpt);