list_del_init(&p->ctl_entry);
 }
 
+void sysctl_head_finish(struct ctl_table_header *head)
+{
+       if (!head)
+               return;
+       spin_lock(&sysctl_lock);
+       unuse_table(head);
+       spin_unlock(&sysctl_lock);
+}
+
+struct ctl_table_header *sysctl_head_next(struct ctl_table_header *prev)
+{
+       struct ctl_table_header *head;
+       struct list_head *tmp;
+       spin_lock(&sysctl_lock);
+       if (prev) {
+               tmp = &prev->ctl_entry;
+               unuse_table(prev);
+               goto next;
+       }
+       tmp = &root_table_header.ctl_entry;
+       for (;;) {
+               head = list_entry(tmp, struct ctl_table_header, ctl_entry);
+
+               if (!use_table(head))
+                       goto next;
+               spin_unlock(&sysctl_lock);
+               return head;
+       next:
+               tmp = tmp->next;
+               if (tmp == &root_table_header.ctl_entry)
+                       break;
+       }
+       spin_unlock(&sysctl_lock);
+       return NULL;
+}
+
 void __init sysctl_init(void)
 {
 #ifdef CONFIG_PROC_SYSCTL
 int do_sysctl(int __user *name, int nlen, void __user *oldval, size_t __user *oldlenp,
               void __user *newval, size_t newlen)
 {
-       struct list_head *tmp;
+       struct ctl_table_header *head;
        int error = -ENOTDIR;
 
        if (nlen <= 0 || nlen >= CTL_MAXNAME)
                if (!oldlenp || get_user(old_len, oldlenp))
                        return -EFAULT;
        }
-       spin_lock(&sysctl_lock);
-       tmp = &root_table_header.ctl_entry;
-       do {
-               struct ctl_table_header *head =
-                       list_entry(tmp, struct ctl_table_header, ctl_entry);
-
-               if (!use_table(head))
-                       continue;
-
-               spin_unlock(&sysctl_lock);
 
+       for (head = sysctl_head_next(NULL); head;
+                       head = sysctl_head_next(head)) {
                error = parse_table(name, nlen, oldval, oldlenp, 
                                        newval, newlen, head->ctl_table);
-
-               spin_lock(&sysctl_lock);
-               unuse_table(head);
-               if (error != -ENOTDIR)
+               if (error != -ENOTDIR) {
+                       sysctl_head_finish(head);
                        break;
-       } while ((tmp = tmp->next) != &root_table_header.ctl_entry);
-       spin_unlock(&sysctl_lock);
+               }
+       }
        return error;
 }