diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/dir.c b/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
index 96b1bdcf36745555316b1d3d7121a255e2bbd75c..d456e9fb012a06c68bc428b9f0e539938aaf2fc6 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/dir.c
@@ -163,12 +163,17 @@ static int ovl_dir_getattr(struct vfsmount *mnt, struct dentry *dentry,
 
 /* Common operations required to be done after creation of file on upper */
 static void ovl_instantiate(struct dentry *dentry, struct inode *inode,
-			    struct dentry *newdentry)
+			    struct dentry *newdentry, bool hardlink)
 {
 	ovl_dentry_version_inc(dentry->d_parent);
 	ovl_dentry_update(dentry, newdentry);
-	ovl_inode_update(inode, d_inode(newdentry));
-	ovl_copyattr(newdentry->d_inode, inode);
+	if (!hardlink) {
+		ovl_inode_update(inode, d_inode(newdentry));
+		ovl_copyattr(newdentry->d_inode, inode);
+	} else {
+		WARN_ON(ovl_inode_real(inode, NULL) != d_inode(newdentry));
+		inc_nlink(inode);
+	}
 	d_instantiate(dentry, inode);
 }
 
@@ -191,7 +196,7 @@ static int ovl_create_upper(struct dentry *dentry, struct inode *inode,
 	if (err)
 		goto out_dput;
 
-	ovl_instantiate(dentry, inode, newdentry);
+	ovl_instantiate(dentry, inode, newdentry, !!hardlink);
 	newdentry = NULL;
 out_dput:
 	dput(newdentry);
@@ -361,7 +366,8 @@ static int ovl_create_over_whiteout(struct dentry *dentry, struct inode *inode,
 	/*
 	 * mode could have been mutilated due to umask (e.g. sgid directory)
 	 */
-	if (!S_ISLNK(stat->mode) && newdentry->d_inode->i_mode != stat->mode) {
+	if (!hardlink &&
+	    !S_ISLNK(stat->mode) && newdentry->d_inode->i_mode != stat->mode) {
 		struct iattr attr = {
 			.ia_valid = ATTR_MODE,
 			.ia_mode = stat->mode,
@@ -373,7 +379,7 @@ static int ovl_create_over_whiteout(struct dentry *dentry, struct inode *inode,
 			goto out_cleanup;
 	}
 
-	if (S_ISDIR(stat->mode)) {
+	if (!hardlink && S_ISDIR(stat->mode)) {
 		err = ovl_set_opaque(newdentry);
 		if (err)
 			goto out_cleanup;
@@ -389,7 +395,7 @@ static int ovl_create_over_whiteout(struct dentry *dentry, struct inode *inode,
 		if (err)
 			goto out_cleanup;
 	}
-	ovl_instantiate(dentry, inode, newdentry);
+	ovl_instantiate(dentry, inode, newdentry, !!hardlink);
 	newdentry = NULL;
 out_dput2:
 	dput(upper);
@@ -405,28 +411,17 @@ static int ovl_create_over_whiteout(struct dentry *dentry, struct inode *inode,
 	goto out_dput2;
 }
 
-static int ovl_create_or_link(struct dentry *dentry, int mode, dev_t rdev,
-			      const char *link, struct dentry *hardlink)
+static int ovl_create_or_link(struct dentry *dentry, struct inode *inode,
+			      struct kstat *stat, const char *link,
+			      struct dentry *hardlink)
 {
 	int err;
-	struct inode *inode;
 	const struct cred *old_cred;
 	struct cred *override_cred;
-	struct kstat stat = {
-		.rdev = rdev,
-	};
-
-	err = -ENOMEM;
-	inode = ovl_new_inode(dentry->d_sb, mode);
-	if (!inode)
-		goto out;
 
 	err = ovl_copy_up(dentry->d_parent);
 	if (err)
-		goto out_iput;
-
-	inode_init_owner(inode, dentry->d_parent->d_inode, mode);
-	stat.mode = inode->i_mode;
+		return err;
 
 	old_cred = ovl_override_creds(dentry->d_sb);
 	err = -ENOMEM;
@@ -438,10 +433,10 @@ static int ovl_create_or_link(struct dentry *dentry, int mode, dev_t rdev,
 		put_cred(override_cred);
 
 		if (!ovl_dentry_is_opaque(dentry))
-			err = ovl_create_upper(dentry, inode, &stat, link,
+			err = ovl_create_upper(dentry, inode, stat, link,
 						hardlink);
 		else
-			err = ovl_create_over_whiteout(dentry, inode, &stat,
+			err = ovl_create_over_whiteout(dentry, inode, stat,
 							link, hardlink);
 	}
 	revert_creds(old_cred);
@@ -451,11 +446,7 @@ static int ovl_create_or_link(struct dentry *dentry, int mode, dev_t rdev,
 		WARN_ON(inode->i_mode != realinode->i_mode);
 		WARN_ON(!uid_eq(inode->i_uid, realinode->i_uid));
 		WARN_ON(!gid_eq(inode->i_gid, realinode->i_gid));
-		inode = NULL;
 	}
-out_iput:
-	iput(inode);
-out:
 	return err;
 }
 
@@ -463,13 +454,30 @@ static int ovl_create_object(struct dentry *dentry, int mode, dev_t rdev,
 			     const char *link)
 {
 	int err;
+	struct inode *inode;
+	struct kstat stat = {
+		.rdev = rdev,
+	};
 
 	err = ovl_want_write(dentry);
-	if (!err) {
-		err = ovl_create_or_link(dentry, mode, rdev, link, NULL);
-		ovl_drop_write(dentry);
-	}
+	if (err)
+		goto out;
+
+	err = -ENOMEM;
+	inode = ovl_new_inode(dentry->d_sb, mode);
+	if (!inode)
+		goto out_drop_write;
+
+	inode_init_owner(inode, dentry->d_parent->d_inode, mode);
+	stat.mode = inode->i_mode;
+
+	err = ovl_create_or_link(dentry, inode, &stat, link, NULL);
+	if (err)
+		iput(inode);
 
+out_drop_write:
+	ovl_drop_write(dentry);
+out:
 	return err;
 }
 
@@ -504,7 +512,7 @@ static int ovl_link(struct dentry *old, struct inode *newdir,
 		    struct dentry *new)
 {
 	int err;
-	struct dentry *upper;
+	struct inode *inode;
 
 	err = ovl_want_write(old);
 	if (err)
@@ -514,8 +522,12 @@ static int ovl_link(struct dentry *old, struct inode *newdir,
 	if (err)
 		goto out_drop_write;
 
-	upper = ovl_dentry_upper(old);
-	err = ovl_create_or_link(new, upper->d_inode->i_mode, 0, NULL, upper);
+	inode = d_inode(old);
+	ihold(inode);
+
+	err = ovl_create_or_link(new, inode, NULL, NULL, ovl_dentry_upper(old));
+	if (err)
+		iput(inode);
 
 out_drop_write:
 	ovl_drop_write(old);
@@ -684,6 +696,8 @@ static int ovl_do_remove(struct dentry *dentry, bool is_dir)
 	else
 		err = ovl_remove_and_whiteout(dentry, is_dir);
 	revert_creds(old_cred);
+	if (!err && !is_dir)
+		drop_nlink(dentry->d_inode);
 out_drop_write:
 	ovl_drop_write(dentry);
 out:
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/inode.c b/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
index 2bdd3cae0f7171d76464f4e2bc8c1212b23e9a81..6be0d276fd0522ca0a4fcf8f0c4fa05384d8118c 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
@@ -409,14 +409,8 @@ static const struct inode_operations ovl_symlink_inode_operations = {
 	.update_time	= ovl_update_time,
 };
 
-struct inode *ovl_new_inode(struct super_block *sb, umode_t mode)
+static void ovl_fill_inode(struct inode *inode, umode_t mode)
 {
-	struct inode *inode;
-
-	inode = new_inode(sb);
-	if (!inode)
-		return NULL;
-
 	inode->i_ino = get_next_ino();
 	inode->i_mode = mode;
 	inode->i_flags |= S_NOCMTIME;
@@ -432,6 +426,10 @@ struct inode *ovl_new_inode(struct super_block *sb, umode_t mode)
 		inode->i_op = &ovl_symlink_inode_operations;
 		break;
 
+	default:
+		WARN(1, "illegal file type: %i\n", mode);
+		/* Fall through */
+
 	case S_IFREG:
 	case S_IFSOCK:
 	case S_IFBLK:
@@ -439,11 +437,42 @@ struct inode *ovl_new_inode(struct super_block *sb, umode_t mode)
 	case S_IFIFO:
 		inode->i_op = &ovl_file_inode_operations;
 		break;
+	}
+}
 
-	default:
-		WARN(1, "illegal file type: %i\n", mode);
-		iput(inode);
-		inode = NULL;
+struct inode *ovl_new_inode(struct super_block *sb, umode_t mode)
+{
+	struct inode *inode;
+
+	inode = new_inode(sb);
+	if (inode)
+		ovl_fill_inode(inode, mode);
+
+	return inode;
+}
+
+static int ovl_inode_test(struct inode *inode, void *data)
+{
+	return ovl_inode_real(inode, NULL) == data;
+}
+
+static int ovl_inode_set(struct inode *inode, void *data)
+{
+	inode->i_private = (void *) (((unsigned long) data) | OVL_ISUPPER_MASK);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+struct inode *ovl_get_inode(struct super_block *sb, struct inode *realinode)
+
+{
+	struct inode *inode;
+
+	inode = iget5_locked(sb, (unsigned long) realinode,
+			     ovl_inode_test, ovl_inode_set, realinode);
+	if (inode && inode->i_state & I_NEW) {
+		ovl_fill_inode(inode, realinode->i_mode);
+		set_nlink(inode, realinode->i_nlink);
+		unlock_new_inode(inode);
 	}
 
 	return inode;
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
index 6410209ea6167bbae7083a6fe8f5febc0a2df1cc..abeef1e6db56877a22d3f2853a64031e5703a68f 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
@@ -195,6 +195,7 @@ int ovl_open_maybe_copy_up(struct dentry *dentry, unsigned int file_flags);
 int ovl_update_time(struct inode *inode, struct timespec *ts, int flags);
 
 struct inode *ovl_new_inode(struct super_block *sb, umode_t mode);
+struct inode *ovl_get_inode(struct super_block *sb, struct inode *realinode);
 static inline void ovl_copyattr(struct inode *from, struct inode *to)
 {
 	to->i_uid = from->i_uid;
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/super.c b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
index 313f773652fff87f2355bc02e09175a953b1acbb..44c4510f5adf6cde4e021d15ae08163fed348e37 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/super.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
@@ -232,8 +232,11 @@ void ovl_dentry_update(struct dentry *dentry, struct dentry *upperdentry)
 void ovl_inode_update(struct inode *inode, struct inode *upperinode)
 {
 	WARN_ON(!upperinode);
+	WARN_ON(!inode_unhashed(inode));
 	WRITE_ONCE(inode->i_private,
 		   (unsigned long) upperinode | OVL_ISUPPER_MASK);
+	if (!S_ISDIR(upperinode->i_mode))
+		__insert_inode_hash(inode, (unsigned long) upperinode);
 }
 
 void ovl_dentry_version_inc(struct dentry *dentry)
@@ -572,10 +575,15 @@ struct dentry *ovl_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 		realinode = d_inode(realdentry);
 
 		err = -ENOMEM;
-		inode = ovl_new_inode(dentry->d_sb, realinode->i_mode);
+		if (upperdentry && !d_is_dir(upperdentry)) {
+			inode = ovl_get_inode(dentry->d_sb, realinode);
+		} else {
+			inode = ovl_new_inode(dentry->d_sb, realinode->i_mode);
+			if (inode)
+				ovl_inode_init(inode, realinode, !!upperdentry);
+		}
 		if (!inode)
 			goto out_free_oe;
-		ovl_inode_init(inode, realinode, !!upperdentry);
 		ovl_copyattr(realdentry->d_inode, inode);
 	}