diff --git a/source3/lib/util_path.c b/source3/lib/util_path.c
index 33827fcf894..5a94b391dd6 100644
--- a/source3/lib/util_path.c
+++ b/source3/lib/util_path.c
@@ -304,3 +304,53 @@ bool extract_snapshot_token(char *fname, NTTIME *twrp)
 
 	return true;
 }
+
+/*
+ * Take two absolute paths, figure out if "subdir" is a proper
+ * subdirectory of "parent". Return the component relative to the
+ * "parent" without the potential "/". Take care of "parent"
+ * possibly ending in "/".
+ */
+bool subdir_of(const char *parent,
+	       size_t parent_len,
+	       const char *subdir,
+	       const char **_relative)
+{
+	const char *relative = NULL;
+	bool matched;
+
+	SMB_ASSERT(parent[0] == '/');
+	SMB_ASSERT(subdir[0] == '/');
+
+	if (parent_len == 1) {
+		/*
+		 * Everything is below "/"
+		 */
+		*_relative = subdir+1;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	if (parent[parent_len-1] == '/') {
+		parent_len -= 1;
+	}
+
+	matched = (strncmp(subdir, parent, parent_len) == 0);
+	if (!matched) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	relative = &subdir[parent_len];
+
+	if (relative[0] == '\0') {
+		*_relative = relative; /* nothing left */
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	if (relative[0] == '/') {
+		/* End of parent must match a '/' in subdir. */
+		*_relative = relative+1;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	return false;
+}
diff --git a/source3/lib/util_path.h b/source3/lib/util_path.h
index 33699da28c2..5b0a1f13e38 100644
--- a/source3/lib/util_path.h
+++ b/source3/lib/util_path.h
@@ -49,5 +49,9 @@ bool clistr_is_previous_version_path(const char *path,
 				     const char **startp,
 				     const char **endp,
 				     NTTIME *ptwrp);
+bool subdir_of(const char *parent,
+	       size_t parent_len,
+	       const char *subdir,
+	       const char **_relative);
 
 #endif
diff --git a/source3/smbd/open.c b/source3/smbd/open.c
index 9d85b0d8ef8..d4a679a4cb0 100644
--- a/source3/smbd/open.c
+++ b/source3/smbd/open.c
@@ -475,58 +475,6 @@ static NTSTATUS check_base_file_access(struct files_struct *fsp,
 					access_mask);
 }
 
-/*
- * Take two absolute paths, figure out if "subdir" is a proper
- * subdirectory of "parent". Return the component relative to the
- * "parent" without the potential "/". Take care of "parent"
- * possibly ending in "/".
- */
-static bool subdir_of(
-	const char *parent,
-	size_t parent_len,
-	const char *subdir,
-	const char **_relative)
-
-{
-	const char *relative = NULL;
-	bool matched;
-
-	SMB_ASSERT(parent[0] == '/');
-	SMB_ASSERT(subdir[0] == '/');
-
-	if (parent_len == 1) {
-		/*
-		 * Everything is below "/"
-		 */
-		*_relative = subdir+1;
-		return true;
-	}
-
-	if (parent[parent_len-1] == '/') {
-		parent_len -= 1;
-	}
-
-	matched = (strncmp(subdir, parent, parent_len) == 0);
-	if (!matched) {
-		return false;
-	}
-
-	relative = &subdir[parent_len];
-
-	if (relative[0] == '\0') {
-		*_relative = relative; /* nothing left */
-		return true;
-	}
-
-	if (relative[0] == '/') {
-		/* End of parent must match a '/' in subdir. */
-		*_relative = relative+1;
-		return true;
-	}
-
-	return false;
-}
-
 static NTSTATUS chdir_below_conn(
 	TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
 	connection_struct *conn,