diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/include/lu_object.h b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/include/lu_object.h
index 34e35fbff978..35c7b582f36d 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/include/lu_object.h
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/include/lu_object.h
@@ -1328,13 +1328,6 @@ struct lu_kmem_descr {
 int  lu_kmem_init(struct lu_kmem_descr *caches);
 void lu_kmem_fini(struct lu_kmem_descr *caches);
 
-void lu_buf_free(struct lu_buf *buf);
-void lu_buf_alloc(struct lu_buf *buf, size_t size);
-void lu_buf_realloc(struct lu_buf *buf, size_t size);
-
-int lu_buf_check_and_grow(struct lu_buf *buf, size_t len);
-struct lu_buf *lu_buf_check_and_alloc(struct lu_buf *buf, size_t len);
-
 extern __u32 lu_context_tags_default;
 extern __u32 lu_session_tags_default;
 
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/llite_lib.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/llite_lib.c
index 07072ab92bb6..efbd551e7842 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/llite_lib.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/llite_lib.c
@@ -2648,7 +2648,7 @@ int ll_getparent(struct file *file, struct getparent __user *arg)
 	}
 
 lb_free:
-	lu_buf_free(&buf);
+	kvfree(buf.lb_buf);
 ldata_free:
 	kfree(ldata);
 	return rc;
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/obdclass/linkea.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/obdclass/linkea.c
index fe1638b0916e..74c99ee216bb 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/obdclass/linkea.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/obdclass/linkea.c
@@ -33,9 +33,11 @@
 
 int linkea_data_new(struct linkea_data *ldata, struct lu_buf *buf)
 {
-	ldata->ld_buf = lu_buf_check_and_alloc(buf, PAGE_SIZE);
-	if (!ldata->ld_buf->lb_buf)
+	buf->lb_buf = kzalloc(PAGE_SIZE, GFP_NOFS);
+	if (!buf->lb_buf)
 		return -ENOMEM;
+	buf->lb_len = PAGE_SIZE;
+	ldata->ld_buf = buf;
 	ldata->ld_leh = ldata->ld_buf->lb_buf;
 	ldata->ld_leh->leh_magic = LINK_EA_MAGIC;
 	ldata->ld_leh->leh_len = sizeof(struct link_ea_header);
@@ -158,11 +160,15 @@ int linkea_add_buf(struct linkea_data *ldata, const struct lu_name *lname,
 	}
 
 	if (leh->leh_len + reclen > ldata->ld_buf->lb_len) {
-		if (lu_buf_check_and_grow(ldata->ld_buf,
-					  leh->leh_len + reclen) < 0)
+		/* Note: this never happens as MAX_LINKEA_SIZE is 4096, while
+		 * the initial allocation is PAGE_SIZE.
+		 */
+		void *b = krealloc(ldata->ld_buf->lb_buf, leh->leh_len + reclen, GFP_NOFS);
+		if (!b)
 			return -ENOMEM;
 
-		leh = ldata->ld_leh = ldata->ld_buf->lb_buf;
+		ldata->ld_buf->lb_len = leh->leh_len + reclen;
+		leh = ldata->ld_leh = ldata->ld_buf->lb_buf = b;
 	}
 
 	ldata->ld_lee = ldata->ld_buf->lb_buf + leh->leh_len;
diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/obdclass/lu_object.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/obdclass/lu_object.c
index 2719abbff85f..cca688175d2d 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/obdclass/lu_object.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/obdclass/lu_object.c
@@ -2061,73 +2061,3 @@ void lu_kmem_fini(struct lu_kmem_descr *caches)
 	}
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(lu_kmem_fini);
-
-void lu_buf_free(struct lu_buf *buf)
-{
-	LASSERT(buf);
-	if (buf->lb_buf) {
-		LASSERT(buf->lb_len > 0);
-		kvfree(buf->lb_buf);
-		buf->lb_buf = NULL;
-		buf->lb_len = 0;
-	}
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL(lu_buf_free);
-
-void lu_buf_alloc(struct lu_buf *buf, size_t size)
-{
-	LASSERT(buf);
-	LASSERT(!buf->lb_buf);
-	LASSERT(!buf->lb_len);
-	buf->lb_buf = libcfs_kvzalloc(size, GFP_NOFS);
-	if (likely(buf->lb_buf))
-		buf->lb_len = size;
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL(lu_buf_alloc);
-
-void lu_buf_realloc(struct lu_buf *buf, size_t size)
-{
-	lu_buf_free(buf);
-	lu_buf_alloc(buf, size);
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL(lu_buf_realloc);
-
-struct lu_buf *lu_buf_check_and_alloc(struct lu_buf *buf, size_t len)
-{
-	if (!buf->lb_buf && !buf->lb_len)
-		lu_buf_alloc(buf, len);
-
-	if ((len > buf->lb_len) && buf->lb_buf)
-		lu_buf_realloc(buf, len);
-
-	return buf;
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL(lu_buf_check_and_alloc);
-
-/**
- * Increase the size of the \a buf.
- * preserves old data in buffer
- * old buffer remains unchanged on error
- * \retval 0 or -ENOMEM
- */
-int lu_buf_check_and_grow(struct lu_buf *buf, size_t len)
-{
-	char *ptr;
-
-	if (len <= buf->lb_len)
-		return 0;
-
-	ptr = libcfs_kvzalloc(len, GFP_NOFS);
-	if (!ptr)
-		return -ENOMEM;
-
-	/* Free the old buf */
-	if (buf->lb_buf) {
-		memcpy(ptr, buf->lb_buf, buf->lb_len);
-		kvfree(buf->lb_buf);
-	}
-
-	buf->lb_buf = ptr;
-	buf->lb_len = len;
-	return 0;
-}