diff --git a/drivers/md/md.c b/drivers/md/md.c
index a2678d882151aa751123eb3203b7098e93fc431c..084a6540a4bdd2d88ef707d71063058cb570079f 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md.c
+++ b/drivers/md/md.c
@@ -5144,7 +5144,7 @@ int md_run(struct mddev *mddev)
 	
 	set_bit(MD_RECOVERY_NEEDED, &mddev->recovery);
 	
-	if (mddev->flags)
+	if (mddev->flags & MD_UPDATE_SB_FLAGS)
 		md_update_sb(mddev, 0);
 
 	md_new_event(mddev);
@@ -5289,7 +5289,7 @@ static void __md_stop_writes(struct mddev *mddev)
 	md_super_wait(mddev);
 
 	if (mddev->ro == 0 &&
-	    (!mddev->in_sync || mddev->flags)) {
+	    (!mddev->in_sync || (mddev->flags & MD_UPDATE_SB_FLAGS))) {
 		/* mark array as shutdown cleanly */
 		mddev->in_sync = 1;
 		md_update_sb(mddev, 1);
@@ -7814,7 +7814,7 @@ void md_check_recovery(struct mddev *mddev)
 				sysfs_notify_dirent_safe(mddev->sysfs_state);
 		}
 
-		if (mddev->flags)
+		if (mddev->flags & MD_UPDATE_SB_FLAGS)
 			md_update_sb(mddev, 0);
 
 		if (test_bit(MD_RECOVERY_RUNNING, &mddev->recovery) &&
diff --git a/drivers/md/md.h b/drivers/md/md.h
index 20f02c0b5f2d6d99ac69a36067135f0b8196d9a7..53283beda21be6287d1146011b36d972ab85ed8d 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md.h
+++ b/drivers/md/md.h
@@ -204,11 +204,12 @@ struct mddev {
 	struct md_personality		*pers;
 	dev_t				unit;
 	int				md_minor;
-	struct list_head 		disks;
+	struct list_head		disks;
 	unsigned long			flags;
 #define MD_CHANGE_DEVS	0	/* Some device status has changed */
 #define MD_CHANGE_CLEAN 1	/* transition to or from 'clean' */
 #define MD_CHANGE_PENDING 2	/* switch from 'clean' to 'active' in progress */
+#define MD_UPDATE_SB_FLAGS (1 | 2 | 4)	/* If these are set, md_update_sb needed */
 #define MD_ARRAY_FIRST_USE 3    /* First use of array, needs initialization */
 
 	int				suspended;
@@ -218,7 +219,7 @@ struct mddev {
 						       * are happening, so run/
 						       * takeover/stop are not safe
 						       */
-	int				ready; /* See when safe to pass 
+	int				ready; /* See when safe to pass
 						* IO requests down */
 	struct gendisk			*gendisk;