diff --git a/fs/dcache.c b/fs/dcache.c
index 37b5afd..c4ce351 100644
--- a/fs/dcache.c
+++ b/fs/dcache.c
@@ -1673,7 +1673,8 @@
 				DCACHE_OP_COMPARE	|
 				DCACHE_OP_REVALIDATE	|
 				DCACHE_OP_WEAK_REVALIDATE	|
-				DCACHE_OP_DELETE ));
+				DCACHE_OP_DELETE	|
+				DCACHE_OP_SELECT_INODE));
 	dentry->d_op = op;
 	if (!op)
 		return;
@@ -1689,6 +1690,8 @@
 		dentry->d_flags |= DCACHE_OP_DELETE;
 	if (op->d_prune)
 		dentry->d_flags |= DCACHE_OP_PRUNE;
+	if (op->d_select_inode)
+		dentry->d_flags |= DCACHE_OP_SELECT_INODE;
 
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(d_set_d_op);
diff --git a/fs/internal.h b/fs/internal.h
index 01dce1d..4d5af58 100644
--- a/fs/internal.h
+++ b/fs/internal.h
@@ -107,6 +107,7 @@
 extern long do_handle_open(int mountdirfd,
 			   struct file_handle __user *ufh, int open_flag);
 extern int open_check_o_direct(struct file *f);
+extern int vfs_open(const struct path *, struct file *, const struct cred *);
 
 /*
  * inode.c
diff --git a/fs/open.c b/fs/open.c
index e0250bd..b1c5823 100644
--- a/fs/open.c
+++ b/fs/open.c
@@ -678,18 +678,18 @@
 }
 
 static int do_dentry_open(struct file *f,
+			  struct inode *inode,
 			  int (*open)(struct inode *, struct file *),
 			  const struct cred *cred)
 {
 	static const struct file_operations empty_fops = {};
-	struct inode *inode;
 	int error;
 
 	f->f_mode = OPEN_FMODE(f->f_flags) | FMODE_LSEEK |
 				FMODE_PREAD | FMODE_PWRITE;
 
 	path_get(&f->f_path);
-	inode = f->f_inode = f->f_path.dentry->d_inode;
+	f->f_inode = inode;
 	f->f_mapping = inode->i_mapping;
 
 	if (unlikely(f->f_flags & O_PATH)) {
@@ -793,7 +793,8 @@
 	BUG_ON(*opened & FILE_OPENED); /* once it's opened, it's opened */
 
 	file->f_path.dentry = dentry;
-	error = do_dentry_open(file, open, current_cred());
+	error = do_dentry_open(file, d_backing_inode(dentry), open,
+			       current_cred());
 	if (!error)
 		*opened |= FILE_OPENED;
 
@@ -822,6 +823,28 @@
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(finish_no_open);
 
+/**
+ * vfs_open - open the file at the given path
+ * @path: path to open
+ * @file: newly allocated file with f_flag initialized
+ * @cred: credentials to use
+ */
+int vfs_open(const struct path *path, struct file *file,
+	     const struct cred *cred)
+{
+	struct dentry *dentry = path->dentry;
+	struct inode *inode = dentry->d_inode;
+
+	file->f_path = *path;
+	if (dentry->d_flags & DCACHE_OP_SELECT_INODE) {
+		inode = dentry->d_op->d_select_inode(dentry, file->f_flags);
+		if (IS_ERR(inode))
+			return PTR_ERR(inode);
+	}
+
+	return do_dentry_open(file, inode, NULL, cred);
+}
+
 struct file *dentry_open(const struct path *path, int flags,
 			 const struct cred *cred)
 {
@@ -853,26 +876,6 @@
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(dentry_open);
 
-/**
- * vfs_open - open the file at the given path
- * @path: path to open
- * @filp: newly allocated file with f_flag initialized
- * @cred: credentials to use
- */
-int vfs_open(const struct path *path, struct file *filp,
-	     const struct cred *cred)
-{
-	struct inode *inode = path->dentry->d_inode;
-
-	if (inode->i_op->dentry_open)
-		return inode->i_op->dentry_open(path->dentry, filp, cred);
-	else {
-		filp->f_path = *path;
-		return do_dentry_open(filp, NULL, cred);
-	}
-}
-EXPORT_SYMBOL(vfs_open);
-
 static inline int build_open_flags(int flags, umode_t mode, struct open_flags *op)
 {
 	int lookup_flags = 0;
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/inode.c b/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
index 21079d1..f140e3db 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
@@ -337,31 +337,30 @@
 	return true;
 }
 
-static int ovl_dentry_open(struct dentry *dentry, struct file *file,
-		    const struct cred *cred)
+struct inode *ovl_d_select_inode(struct dentry *dentry, unsigned file_flags)
 {
 	int err;
 	struct path realpath;
 	enum ovl_path_type type;
 
 	type = ovl_path_real(dentry, &realpath);
-	if (ovl_open_need_copy_up(file->f_flags, type, realpath.dentry)) {
+	if (ovl_open_need_copy_up(file_flags, type, realpath.dentry)) {
 		err = ovl_want_write(dentry);
 		if (err)
-			return err;
+			return ERR_PTR(err);
 
-		if (file->f_flags & O_TRUNC)
+		if (file_flags & O_TRUNC)
 			err = ovl_copy_up_last(dentry, NULL, true);
 		else
 			err = ovl_copy_up(dentry);
 		ovl_drop_write(dentry);
 		if (err)
-			return err;
+			return ERR_PTR(err);
 
 		ovl_path_upper(dentry, &realpath);
 	}
 
-	return vfs_open(&realpath, file, cred);
+	return d_backing_inode(realpath.dentry);
 }
 
 static const struct inode_operations ovl_file_inode_operations = {
@@ -372,7 +371,6 @@
 	.getxattr	= ovl_getxattr,
 	.listxattr	= ovl_listxattr,
 	.removexattr	= ovl_removexattr,
-	.dentry_open	= ovl_dentry_open,
 };
 
 static const struct inode_operations ovl_symlink_inode_operations = {
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
index 17ac5af..ea5a40b 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
@@ -173,6 +173,7 @@
 		     void *value, size_t size);
 ssize_t ovl_listxattr(struct dentry *dentry, char *list, size_t size);
 int ovl_removexattr(struct dentry *dentry, const char *name);
+struct inode *ovl_d_select_inode(struct dentry *dentry, unsigned file_flags);
 
 struct inode *ovl_new_inode(struct super_block *sb, umode_t mode,
 			    struct ovl_entry *oe);
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/super.c b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
index 5f0d199..84c5e27 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/super.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
@@ -275,6 +275,7 @@
 
 static const struct dentry_operations ovl_dentry_operations = {
 	.d_release = ovl_dentry_release,
+	.d_select_inode = ovl_d_select_inode,
 };
 
 static struct ovl_entry *ovl_alloc_entry(unsigned int numlower)
diff --git a/include/linux/dcache.h b/include/linux/dcache.h
index df334cb..167ec093 100644
--- a/include/linux/dcache.h
+++ b/include/linux/dcache.h
@@ -160,6 +160,7 @@
 	char *(*d_dname)(struct dentry *, char *, int);
 	struct vfsmount *(*d_automount)(struct path *);
 	int (*d_manage)(struct dentry *, bool);
+	struct inode *(*d_select_inode)(struct dentry *, unsigned);
 } ____cacheline_aligned;
 
 /*
@@ -225,6 +226,7 @@
 
 #define DCACHE_MAY_FREE			0x00800000
 #define DCACHE_FALLTHRU			0x01000000 /* Fall through to lower layer */
+#define DCACHE_OP_SELECT_INODE		0x02000000 /* Unioned entry: dcache op selects inode */
 
 extern seqlock_t rename_lock;
 
diff --git a/include/linux/fs.h b/include/linux/fs.h
index b577e80..2bd77e1 100644
--- a/include/linux/fs.h
+++ b/include/linux/fs.h
@@ -1641,7 +1641,6 @@
 	int (*set_acl)(struct inode *, struct posix_acl *, int);
 
 	/* WARNING: probably going away soon, do not use! */
-	int (*dentry_open)(struct dentry *, struct file *, const struct cred *);
 } ____cacheline_aligned;
 
 ssize_t rw_copy_check_uvector(int type, const struct iovec __user * uvector,
@@ -2194,7 +2193,6 @@
 extern struct file *filp_open(const char *, int, umode_t);
 extern struct file *file_open_root(struct dentry *, struct vfsmount *,
 				   const char *, int);
-extern int vfs_open(const struct path *, struct file *, const struct cred *);
 extern struct file * dentry_open(const struct path *, int, const struct cred *);
 extern int filp_close(struct file *, fl_owner_t id);