diff --git a/fs/nfsd/nfs3xdr.c b/fs/nfsd/nfs3xdr.c
index b8838d3023ff2e61fb8e04e02736780ab38b00cd..bf444b664011a891992b04435b739e30fbc17b0e 100644
--- a/fs/nfsd/nfs3xdr.c
+++ b/fs/nfsd/nfs3xdr.c
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ void fill_post_wcc(struct svc_fh *fhp)
 		printk("nfsd: inode locked twice during operation.\n");
 
 	err = fh_getattr(fhp, &fhp->fh_post_attr);
-	fhp->fh_post_change = d_inode(fhp->fh_dentry)->i_version;
+	fhp->fh_post_change = nfsd4_change_attribute(d_inode(fhp->fh_dentry));
 	if (err) {
 		fhp->fh_post_saved = false;
 		/* Grab the ctime anyway - set_change_info might use it */
diff --git a/fs/nfsd/nfs4xdr.c b/fs/nfsd/nfs4xdr.c
index 54e212e3541eb1ee26e968667a2859833ac1e177..20fbcab977531bee75501a9403f4c8f60ee404d4 100644
--- a/fs/nfsd/nfs4xdr.c
+++ b/fs/nfsd/nfs4xdr.c
@@ -1973,7 +1973,7 @@ static __be32 *encode_change(__be32 *p, struct kstat *stat, struct inode *inode,
 		*p++ = cpu_to_be32(convert_to_wallclock(exp->cd->flush_time));
 		*p++ = 0;
 	} else if (IS_I_VERSION(inode)) {
-		p = xdr_encode_hyper(p, inode->i_version);
+		p = xdr_encode_hyper(p, nfsd4_change_attribute(inode));
 	} else {
 		*p++ = cpu_to_be32(stat->ctime.tv_sec);
 		*p++ = cpu_to_be32(stat->ctime.tv_nsec);
diff --git a/fs/nfsd/nfsfh.h b/fs/nfsd/nfsfh.h
index f84fe6bf9aee144cd7227711540f0027e24ef6c2..e47cf6c2ac28b6ad1aac5797a9ecb93806e2f951 100644
--- a/fs/nfsd/nfsfh.h
+++ b/fs/nfsd/nfsfh.h
@@ -240,6 +240,28 @@ fh_clear_wcc(struct svc_fh *fhp)
 	fhp->fh_pre_saved = false;
 }
 
+/*
+ * We could use i_version alone as the change attribute.  However,
+ * i_version can go backwards after a reboot.  On its own that doesn't
+ * necessarily cause a problem, but if i_version goes backwards and then
+ * is incremented again it could reuse a value that was previously used
+ * before boot, and a client who queried the two values might
+ * incorrectly assume nothing changed.
+ *
+ * By using both ctime and the i_version counter we guarantee that as
+ * long as time doesn't go backwards we never reuse an old value.
+ */
+static inline u64 nfsd4_change_attribute(struct inode *inode)
+{
+	u64 chattr;
+
+	chattr =  inode->i_ctime.tv_sec;
+	chattr <<= 30;
+	chattr += inode->i_ctime.tv_nsec;
+	chattr += inode->i_version;
+	return chattr;
+}
+
 /*
  * Fill in the pre_op attr for the wcc data
  */
@@ -253,7 +275,7 @@ fill_pre_wcc(struct svc_fh *fhp)
 		fhp->fh_pre_mtime = inode->i_mtime;
 		fhp->fh_pre_ctime = inode->i_ctime;
 		fhp->fh_pre_size  = inode->i_size;
-		fhp->fh_pre_change = inode->i_version;
+		fhp->fh_pre_change = nfsd4_change_attribute(inode);
 		fhp->fh_pre_saved = true;
 	}
 }