diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmcommon.h b/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmcommon.h
index c9f97da9231a35c1168dd5bc19b465834b587575..3b77862fc85d39eac5e03babde712e177caf3d6a 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmcommon.h
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmcommon.h
@@ -783,6 +783,11 @@ struct dlm_deref_lockres
 	u8 name[O2NM_MAX_NAME_LEN];
 };
 
+enum {
+	DLM_DEREF_RESPONSE_DONE = 0,
+	DLM_DEREF_RESPONSE_INPROG = 1,
+};
+
 struct dlm_deref_lockres_done {
 	u32 pad1;
 	u16 pad2;
diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmmaster.c b/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmmaster.c
index 8913e7d443da7db48575f5f7219d8e22204aedf8..87e22541850e3138b506cb4032dc94671c12a157 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmmaster.c
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmmaster.c
@@ -2278,7 +2278,7 @@ int dlm_drop_lockres_ref(struct dlm_ctxt *dlm, struct dlm_lock_resource *res)
 		dlm_print_one_lock_resource(res);
 		BUG();
 	}
-	return ret;
+	return ret ? ret : r;
 }
 
 int dlm_deref_lockres_handler(struct o2net_msg *msg, u32 len, void *data,
@@ -2345,7 +2345,7 @@ int dlm_deref_lockres_handler(struct o2net_msg *msg, u32 len, void *data,
 		     	res->lockname.len, res->lockname.name, node);
 			dlm_print_one_lock_resource(res);
 		}
-		ret = 0;
+		ret = DLM_DEREF_RESPONSE_DONE;
 		goto done;
 	}
 
@@ -2365,7 +2365,7 @@ int dlm_deref_lockres_handler(struct o2net_msg *msg, u32 len, void *data,
 	spin_unlock(&dlm->work_lock);
 
 	queue_work(dlm->dlm_worker, &dlm->dispatched_work);
-	return 0;
+	return DLM_DEREF_RESPONSE_INPROG;
 
 done:
 	if (res)
@@ -2511,6 +2511,8 @@ static void dlm_deref_lockres_worker(struct dlm_work_item *item, void *data)
 	}
 	spin_unlock(&res->spinlock);
 
+	dlm_drop_lockres_ref_done(dlm, res, node);
+
 	if (cleared) {
 		mlog(0, "%s:%.*s node %u ref dropped in dispatch\n",
 		     dlm->name, res->lockname.len, res->lockname.name, node);
diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmthread.c b/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmthread.c
index c5f6c241ecd7d3e71006ad71cfcb1b2134e47221..22e6eb8b8d22f9f9f15aa886467cabca6649ce48 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmthread.c
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmthread.c
@@ -202,6 +202,13 @@ static void dlm_purge_lockres(struct dlm_ctxt *dlm,
 		dlm->purge_count--;
 	}
 
+	if (!master && ret != 0) {
+		mlog(0, "%s: deref %.*s in progress or master goes down\n",
+			dlm->name, res->lockname.len, res->lockname.name);
+		spin_unlock(&res->spinlock);
+		return;
+	}
+
 	if (!__dlm_lockres_unused(res)) {
 		mlog(ML_ERROR, "%s: res %.*s in use after deref\n",
 		     dlm->name, res->lockname.len, res->lockname.name);