diff --git a/fs/namei.c b/fs/namei.c
index 8cf9bb9c2fc0..c70dbf720109 100644
--- a/fs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/namei.c
@@ -1677,7 +1677,12 @@ int may_open(struct nameidata *nd, int acc_mode, int flag)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int open_namei_create(struct nameidata *nd, struct path *path,
+/*
+ * Be careful about ever adding any more callers of this
+ * function.  Its flags must be in the namei format, not
+ * what get passed to sys_open().
+ */
+static int __open_namei_create(struct nameidata *nd, struct path *path,
 				int flag, int mode)
 {
 	int error;
@@ -1695,27 +1700,47 @@ static int open_namei_create(struct nameidata *nd, struct path *path,
 	return may_open(nd, 0, flag & ~O_TRUNC);
 }
 
+/*
+ * Note that while the flag value (low two bits) for sys_open means:
+ *	00 - read-only
+ *	01 - write-only
+ *	10 - read-write
+ *	11 - special
+ * it is changed into
+ *	00 - no permissions needed
+ *	01 - read-permission
+ *	10 - write-permission
+ *	11 - read-write
+ * for the internal routines (ie open_namei()/follow_link() etc)
+ * This is more logical, and also allows the 00 "no perm needed"
+ * to be used for symlinks (where the permissions are checked
+ * later).
+ *
+*/
+static inline int open_to_namei_flags(int flag)
+{
+	if ((flag+1) & O_ACCMODE)
+		flag++;
+	return flag;
+}
+
 /*
  *	open_namei()
  *
  * namei for open - this is in fact almost the whole open-routine.
  *
  * Note that the low bits of "flag" aren't the same as in the open
- * system call - they are 00 - no permissions needed
- *			  01 - read permission needed
- *			  10 - write permission needed
- *			  11 - read/write permissions needed
- * which is a lot more logical, and also allows the "no perm" needed
- * for symlinks (where the permissions are checked later).
+ * system call.  See open_to_namei_flags().
  * SMP-safe
  */
-int open_namei(int dfd, const char *pathname, int flag,
+int open_namei(int dfd, const char *pathname, int open_flag,
 		int mode, struct nameidata *nd)
 {
 	int acc_mode, error;
 	struct path path;
 	struct dentry *dir;
 	int count = 0;
+	int flag = open_to_namei_flags(open_flag);
 
 	acc_mode = ACC_MODE(flag);
 
@@ -1776,7 +1801,7 @@ do_last:
 
 	/* Negative dentry, just create the file */
 	if (!path.dentry->d_inode) {
-		error = open_namei_create(nd, &path, flag, mode);
+		error = __open_namei_create(nd, &path, flag, mode);
 		if (error)
 			goto exit;
 		return 0;
diff --git a/fs/open.c b/fs/open.c
index 3fa4e4ffce4c..5ab3f3f079c0 100644
--- a/fs/open.c
+++ b/fs/open.c
@@ -796,31 +796,13 @@ cleanup_file:
 	return ERR_PTR(error);
 }
 
-/*
- * Note that while the flag value (low two bits) for sys_open means:
- *	00 - read-only
- *	01 - write-only
- *	10 - read-write
- *	11 - special
- * it is changed into
- *	00 - no permissions needed
- *	01 - read-permission
- *	10 - write-permission
- *	11 - read-write
- * for the internal routines (ie open_namei()/follow_link() etc). 00 is
- * used by symlinks.
- */
 static struct file *do_filp_open(int dfd, const char *filename, int flags,
 				 int mode)
 {
-	int namei_flags, error;
+	int error;
 	struct nameidata nd;
 
-	namei_flags = flags;
-	if ((namei_flags+1) & O_ACCMODE)
-		namei_flags++;
-
-	error = open_namei(dfd, filename, namei_flags, mode, &nd);
+	error = open_namei(dfd, filename, flags, mode, &nd);
 	if (!error)
 		return nameidata_to_filp(&nd, flags);