diff --git a/arch/arm/oprofile/common.c b/arch/arm/oprofile/common.c
index 0691176899ffc24f0a176d154a34f5b7200c6047..aad63e611b36a90bd156c8e1a0caed99cd2182be 100644
--- a/arch/arm/oprofile/common.c
+++ b/arch/arm/oprofile/common.c
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ static int op_create_counter(int cpu, int event)
 		return ret;
 
 	pevent = perf_event_create_kernel_counter(&counter_config[event].attr,
-						  cpu, -1,
+						  cpu, NULL,
 						  op_overflow_handler);
 
 	if (IS_ERR(pevent)) {
diff --git a/include/linux/perf_event.h b/include/linux/perf_event.h
index 93bf53aa50e5fa33766c1cf640310f5518656d8a..39d8860b268434c28d20437954cb633539c5bd7c 100644
--- a/include/linux/perf_event.h
+++ b/include/linux/perf_event.h
@@ -902,7 +902,7 @@ extern int perf_event_release_kernel(struct perf_event *event);
 extern struct perf_event *
 perf_event_create_kernel_counter(struct perf_event_attr *attr,
 				int cpu,
-				pid_t pid,
+				struct task_struct *task,
 				perf_overflow_handler_t callback);
 extern u64 perf_event_read_value(struct perf_event *event,
 				 u64 *enabled, u64 *running);
diff --git a/kernel/hw_breakpoint.c b/kernel/hw_breakpoint.c
index 6122f02cfedf9915d8642e35354ce806e85154b0..3b714e839c1053ec102f99bf8d924424bdf09381 100644
--- a/kernel/hw_breakpoint.c
+++ b/kernel/hw_breakpoint.c
@@ -433,8 +433,7 @@ register_user_hw_breakpoint(struct perf_event_attr *attr,
 			    perf_overflow_handler_t triggered,
 			    struct task_struct *tsk)
 {
-	return perf_event_create_kernel_counter(attr, -1, task_pid_vnr(tsk),
-						triggered);
+	return perf_event_create_kernel_counter(attr, -1, tsk, triggered);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(register_user_hw_breakpoint);
 
@@ -516,7 +515,7 @@ register_wide_hw_breakpoint(struct perf_event_attr *attr,
 	get_online_cpus();
 	for_each_online_cpu(cpu) {
 		pevent = per_cpu_ptr(cpu_events, cpu);
-		bp = perf_event_create_kernel_counter(attr, cpu, -1, triggered);
+		bp = perf_event_create_kernel_counter(attr, cpu, NULL, triggered);
 
 		*pevent = bp;
 
diff --git a/kernel/perf_event.c b/kernel/perf_event.c
index 3f5309db72f1597a64353d5b5e29ff921bcc0af7..86f394e15d53f54d8ea04ea7ed249d7bcc0f9ebc 100644
--- a/kernel/perf_event.c
+++ b/kernel/perf_event.c
@@ -2053,15 +2053,14 @@ find_lively_task_by_vpid(pid_t vpid)
 }
 
 static struct perf_event_context *
-find_get_context(struct pmu *pmu, pid_t pid, int cpu)
+find_get_context(struct pmu *pmu, struct task_struct *task, int cpu)
 {
 	struct perf_event_context *ctx;
 	struct perf_cpu_context *cpuctx;
-	struct task_struct *task;
 	unsigned long flags;
 	int ctxn, err;
 
-	if (pid == -1 && cpu != -1) {
+	if (!task && cpu != -1) {
 		/* Must be root to operate on a CPU event: */
 		if (perf_paranoid_cpu() && !capable(CAP_SYS_ADMIN))
 			return ERR_PTR(-EACCES);
@@ -2084,10 +2083,6 @@ find_get_context(struct pmu *pmu, pid_t pid, int cpu)
 		return ctx;
 	}
 
-	task = find_lively_task_by_vpid(pid);
-	if (IS_ERR(task))
-		return (void*)task;
-
 	err = -EINVAL;
 	ctxn = pmu->task_ctx_nr;
 	if (ctxn < 0)
@@ -5527,6 +5522,7 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE5(perf_event_open,
 	struct perf_event_context *ctx;
 	struct file *event_file = NULL;
 	struct file *group_file = NULL;
+	struct task_struct *task = NULL;
 	struct pmu *pmu;
 	int event_fd;
 	int fput_needed = 0;
@@ -5581,10 +5577,13 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE5(perf_event_open,
 	if ((pmu->task_ctx_nr == perf_sw_context) && group_leader)
 		pmu = group_leader->pmu;
 
+	if (pid != -1)
+		task = find_lively_task_by_vpid(pid);
+
 	/*
 	 * Get the target context (task or percpu):
 	 */
-	ctx = find_get_context(pmu, pid, cpu);
+	ctx = find_get_context(pmu, task, cpu);
 	if (IS_ERR(ctx)) {
 		err = PTR_ERR(ctx);
 		goto err_group_fd;
@@ -5666,11 +5665,11 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE5(perf_event_open,
  *
  * @attr: attributes of the counter to create
  * @cpu: cpu in which the counter is bound
- * @pid: task to profile
+ * @task: task to profile (NULL for percpu)
  */
 struct perf_event *
 perf_event_create_kernel_counter(struct perf_event_attr *attr, int cpu,
-				 pid_t pid,
+				 struct task_struct *task,
 				 perf_overflow_handler_t overflow_handler)
 {
 	struct perf_event_context *ctx;
@@ -5687,7 +5686,7 @@ perf_event_create_kernel_counter(struct perf_event_attr *attr, int cpu,
 		goto err;
 	}
 
-	ctx = find_get_context(event->pmu, pid, cpu);
+	ctx = find_get_context(event->pmu, task, cpu);
 	if (IS_ERR(ctx)) {
 		err = PTR_ERR(ctx);
 		goto err_free;
diff --git a/kernel/watchdog.c b/kernel/watchdog.c
index 89eadbb9cefe48fd24455c71c3ea5afaa094a655..dc8e16824b51b18c8c113f0d670d70cb58ede740 100644
--- a/kernel/watchdog.c
+++ b/kernel/watchdog.c
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ static int watchdog_nmi_enable(int cpu)
 	/* Try to register using hardware perf events */
 	wd_attr = &wd_hw_attr;
 	wd_attr->sample_period = hw_nmi_get_sample_period();
-	event = perf_event_create_kernel_counter(wd_attr, cpu, -1, watchdog_overflow_callback);
+	event = perf_event_create_kernel_counter(wd_attr, cpu, NULL, watchdog_overflow_callback);
 	if (!IS_ERR(event)) {
 		printk(KERN_INFO "NMI watchdog enabled, takes one hw-pmu counter.\n");
 		goto out_save;