diff --git a/config/spl-build.m4 b/config/spl-build.m4
index b1e8d930e..b7ce61fc8 100644
--- a/config/spl-build.m4
+++ b/config/spl-build.m4
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ AC_DEFUN([SPL_AC_CONFIG_KERNEL], [
 	SPL_AC_CTL_NAME
 	SPL_AC_VMALLOC_INFO
 	SPL_AC_PDE_DATA
-	SPL_AC_INODE_I_MUTEX
 	SPL_AC_MUTEX_OWNER
 	SPL_AC_MUTEX_OWNER_TASK_STRUCT
 	SPL_AC_MUTEX_LOCK_NESTED
@@ -926,26 +925,6 @@ AC_DEFUN([SPL_AC_CTL_NAME], [
 	])
 ])
 
-dnl #
-dnl # 2.6.16 API change,
-dnl # check whether 'struct inode' has i_mutex
-dnl #
-AC_DEFUN([SPL_AC_INODE_I_MUTEX], [
-	AC_MSG_CHECKING([whether struct inode has i_mutex])
-	SPL_LINUX_TRY_COMPILE([
-		#include <linux/fs.h>
-		#include <linux/mutex.h>
-	],[
-		struct inode i;
-		mutex_init(&i.i_mutex);
-	],[
-		AC_MSG_RESULT(yes)
-		AC_DEFINE(HAVE_INODE_I_MUTEX, 1, [struct inode has i_mutex])
-	],[
-		AC_MSG_RESULT(no)
-	])
-])
-
 dnl #
 dnl # 2.6.29 API change,
 dnl # Adaptive mutexs were introduced which track the mutex owner.  The
diff --git a/include/linux/file_compat.h b/include/linux/file_compat.h
index 949d844e7..09d0e8250 100644
--- a/include/linux/file_compat.h
+++ b/include/linux/file_compat.h
@@ -81,15 +81,8 @@ spl_filp_fallocate(struct file *fp, int mode, loff_t offset, loff_t len)
 # define spl_filp_fsync(fp, sync)	file_fsync(fp, (fp)->f_dentry, sync)
 #endif /* HAVE_VFS_FSYNC */
 
-#ifdef HAVE_INODE_I_MUTEX
-#define spl_inode_lock(ip)		(mutex_lock(&(ip)->i_mutex))
-#define spl_inode_lock_nested(ip, type)	(mutex_lock_nested((&(ip)->i_mutex),  \
-					(type)))
-#define spl_inode_unlock(ip)		(mutex_unlock(&(ip)->i_mutex))
-#else
-#define spl_inode_lock(ip)		(down(&(ip)->i_sem))
-#define spl_inode_unlock(ip)		(up(&(ip)->i_sem))
-#endif /* HAVE_INODE_I_MUTEX */
+#define	spl_inode_lock(ip)		mutex_lock(&(ip)->i_mutex)
+#define	spl_inode_unlock(ip)		mutex_unlock(&(ip)->i_mutex)
 
 #endif /* SPL_FILE_COMPAT_H */
 
diff --git a/module/spl/spl-vnode.c b/module/spl/spl-vnode.c
index e4eac22eb..a8c5f974d 100644
--- a/module/spl/spl-vnode.c
+++ b/module/spl/spl-vnode.c
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ spl_kern_path_locked(const char *name, struct path *path)
 	if (rc)
 		return (ERR_PTR(rc));
 
-	spl_inode_lock_nested(parent.dentry->d_inode, I_MUTEX_PARENT);
+	spl_inode_lock(parent.dentry->d_inode);
 
 	dentry = lookup_one_len(basename, parent.dentry, len);
 	if (IS_ERR(dentry)) {