diff --git a/fs/super.c b/fs/super.c
index 645e5403f2a..61dce001dd5 100644
--- a/fs/super.c
+++ b/fs/super.c
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ void generic_shutdown_super(struct super_block *sb)
 		/*
 		 * wait for asynchronous fs operations to finish before going further
 		 */
-		async_synchronize_full_special(&sb->s_async_list);
+		async_synchronize_full_domain(&sb->s_async_list);
 
 		/* bad name - it should be evict_inodes() */
 		invalidate_inodes(sb);
@@ -470,7 +470,7 @@ restart:
 		sb->s_count++;
 		spin_unlock(&sb_lock);
 		down_read(&sb->s_umount);
-		async_synchronize_full_special(&sb->s_async_list);
+		async_synchronize_full_domain(&sb->s_async_list);
 		if (sb->s_root && (wait || sb->s_dirt))
 			sb->s_op->sync_fs(sb, wait);
 		up_read(&sb->s_umount);
diff --git a/include/linux/async.h b/include/linux/async.h
index c4ecacd0b32..68a9530196f 100644
--- a/include/linux/async.h
+++ b/include/linux/async.h
@@ -17,9 +17,11 @@ typedef u64 async_cookie_t;
 typedef void (async_func_ptr) (void *data, async_cookie_t cookie);
 
 extern async_cookie_t async_schedule(async_func_ptr *ptr, void *data);
-extern async_cookie_t async_schedule_special(async_func_ptr *ptr, void *data, struct list_head *list);
+extern async_cookie_t async_schedule_domain(async_func_ptr *ptr, void *data,
+					    struct list_head *list);
 extern void async_synchronize_full(void);
-extern void async_synchronize_full_special(struct list_head *list);
+extern void async_synchronize_full_domain(struct list_head *list);
 extern void async_synchronize_cookie(async_cookie_t cookie);
-extern void async_synchronize_cookie_special(async_cookie_t cookie, struct list_head *list);
+extern void async_synchronize_cookie_domain(async_cookie_t cookie,
+					    struct list_head *list);
 
diff --git a/kernel/async.c b/kernel/async.c
index 67a2be71f51..f565891f2c9 100644
--- a/kernel/async.c
+++ b/kernel/async.c
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ asynchronous and synchronous parts of the kernel.
 #include <linux/sched.h>
 #include <linux/init.h>
 #include <linux/kthread.h>
+#include <linux/delay.h>
 #include <asm/atomic.h>
 
 static async_cookie_t next_cookie = 1;
@@ -132,8 +133,7 @@ static void run_one_entry(void)
 	entry = list_first_entry(&async_pending, struct async_entry, list);
 
 	/* 2) move it to the running queue */
-	list_del(&entry->list);
-	list_add_tail(&entry->list, &async_running);
+	list_move_tail(&entry->list, entry->running);
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&async_lock, flags);
 
 	/* 3) run it (and print duration)*/
@@ -208,18 +208,44 @@ static async_cookie_t __async_schedule(async_func_ptr *ptr, void *data, struct l
 	return newcookie;
 }
 
+/**
+ * async_schedule - schedule a function for asynchronous execution
+ * @ptr: function to execute asynchronously
+ * @data: data pointer to pass to the function
+ *
+ * Returns an async_cookie_t that may be used for checkpointing later.
+ * Note: This function may be called from atomic or non-atomic contexts.
+ */
 async_cookie_t async_schedule(async_func_ptr *ptr, void *data)
 {
-	return __async_schedule(ptr, data, &async_pending);
+	return __async_schedule(ptr, data, &async_running);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(async_schedule);
 
-async_cookie_t async_schedule_special(async_func_ptr *ptr, void *data, struct list_head *running)
+/**
+ * async_schedule_domain - schedule a function for asynchronous execution within a certain domain
+ * @ptr: function to execute asynchronously
+ * @data: data pointer to pass to the function
+ * @running: running list for the domain
+ *
+ * Returns an async_cookie_t that may be used for checkpointing later.
+ * @running may be used in the async_synchronize_*_domain() functions
+ * to wait within a certain synchronization domain rather than globally.
+ * A synchronization domain is specified via the running queue @running to use.
+ * Note: This function may be called from atomic or non-atomic contexts.
+ */
+async_cookie_t async_schedule_domain(async_func_ptr *ptr, void *data,
+				     struct list_head *running)
 {
 	return __async_schedule(ptr, data, running);
 }
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(async_schedule_special);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(async_schedule_domain);
 
+/**
+ * async_synchronize_full - synchronize all asynchronous function calls
+ *
+ * This function waits until all asynchronous function calls have been done.
+ */
 void async_synchronize_full(void)
 {
 	do {
@@ -228,13 +254,30 @@ void async_synchronize_full(void)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(async_synchronize_full);
 
-void async_synchronize_full_special(struct list_head *list)
+/**
+ * async_synchronize_full_domain - synchronize all asynchronous function within a certain domain
+ * @list: running list to synchronize on
+ *
+ * This function waits until all asynchronous function calls for the
+ * synchronization domain specified by the running list @list have been done.
+ */
+void async_synchronize_full_domain(struct list_head *list)
 {
-	async_synchronize_cookie_special(next_cookie, list);
+	async_synchronize_cookie_domain(next_cookie, list);
 }
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(async_synchronize_full_special);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(async_synchronize_full_domain);
 
-void async_synchronize_cookie_special(async_cookie_t cookie, struct list_head *running)
+/**
+ * async_synchronize_cookie_domain - synchronize asynchronous function calls within a certain domain with cookie checkpointing
+ * @cookie: async_cookie_t to use as checkpoint
+ * @running: running list to synchronize on
+ *
+ * This function waits until all asynchronous function calls for the
+ * synchronization domain specified by the running list @list submitted
+ * prior to @cookie have been done.
+ */
+void async_synchronize_cookie_domain(async_cookie_t cookie,
+				     struct list_head *running)
 {
 	ktime_t starttime, delta, endtime;
 
@@ -254,11 +297,18 @@ void async_synchronize_cookie_special(async_cookie_t cookie, struct list_head *r
 			(long long)ktime_to_ns(delta) >> 10);
 	}
 }
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(async_synchronize_cookie_special);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(async_synchronize_cookie_domain);
 
+/**
+ * async_synchronize_cookie - synchronize asynchronous function calls with cookie checkpointing
+ * @cookie: async_cookie_t to use as checkpoint
+ *
+ * This function waits until all asynchronous function calls prior to @cookie
+ * have been done.
+ */
 void async_synchronize_cookie(async_cookie_t cookie)
 {
-	async_synchronize_cookie_special(cookie, &async_running);
+	async_synchronize_cookie_domain(cookie, &async_running);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(async_synchronize_cookie);
 
@@ -319,7 +369,11 @@ static int async_manager_thread(void *unused)
 		ec = atomic_read(&entry_count);
 
 		while (tc < ec && tc < MAX_THREADS) {
-			kthread_run(async_thread, NULL, "async/%i", tc);
+			if (IS_ERR(kthread_run(async_thread, NULL, "async/%i",
+					       tc))) {
+				msleep(100);
+				continue;
+			}
 			atomic_inc(&thread_count);
 			tc++;
 		}
@@ -334,7 +388,9 @@ static int async_manager_thread(void *unused)
 static int __init async_init(void)
 {
 	if (async_enabled)
-		kthread_run(async_manager_thread, NULL, "async/mgr");
+		if (IS_ERR(kthread_run(async_manager_thread, NULL,
+				       "async/mgr")))
+			async_enabled = 0;
 	return 0;
 }