diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_cm.c b/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_cm.c
index 096c4f6fbd6583..1c7a9a16efc7ee 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_cm.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_cm.c
@@ -1507,12 +1507,14 @@ static ssize_t set_mode(struct device *d, struct device_attribute *attr,
 
 	ret = ipoib_set_mode(dev, buf);
 
-	rtnl_unlock();
-
-	if (!ret)
-		return count;
+	/* The assumption is that the function ipoib_set_mode returned
+	 * with the rtnl held by it, if not the value -EBUSY returned,
+	 * then no need to rtnl_unlock
+	 */
+	if (ret != -EBUSY)
+		rtnl_unlock();
 
-	return ret;
+	return (!ret || ret == -EBUSY) ? count : ret;
 }
 
 static DEVICE_ATTR(mode, S_IWUSR | S_IRUGO, show_mode, set_mode);
diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_main.c b/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_main.c
index cbd06a882a6081..045f844d7f4a05 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_main.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/ulp/ipoib/ipoib_main.c
@@ -492,8 +492,7 @@ int ipoib_set_mode(struct net_device *dev, const char *buf)
 		priv->tx_wr.wr.send_flags &= ~IB_SEND_IP_CSUM;
 
 		ipoib_flush_paths(dev);
-		rtnl_lock();
-		return 0;
+		return (!rtnl_trylock()) ? -EBUSY : 0;
 	}
 
 	if (!strcmp(buf, "datagram\n")) {
@@ -502,8 +501,7 @@ int ipoib_set_mode(struct net_device *dev, const char *buf)
 		dev_set_mtu(dev, min(priv->mcast_mtu, dev->mtu));
 		rtnl_unlock();
 		ipoib_flush_paths(dev);
-		rtnl_lock();
-		return 0;
+		return (!rtnl_trylock()) ? -EBUSY : 0;
 	}
 
 	return -EINVAL;