diff --git a/drivers/md/md.c b/drivers/md/md.c
index 7a2b0793f66..8e842b326eb 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md.c
+++ b/drivers/md/md.c
@@ -6641,7 +6641,7 @@ static int md_thread(void * arg)
 
 		clear_bit(THREAD_WAKEUP, &thread->flags);
 		if (!kthread_should_stop())
-			thread->run(thread->mddev);
+			thread->run(thread);
 	}
 
 	return 0;
@@ -6656,8 +6656,8 @@ void md_wakeup_thread(struct md_thread *thread)
 	}
 }
 
-struct md_thread *md_register_thread(void (*run) (struct mddev *), struct mddev *mddev,
-				 const char *name)
+struct md_thread *md_register_thread(void (*run) (struct md_thread *),
+		struct mddev *mddev, const char *name)
 {
 	struct md_thread *thread;
 
@@ -7206,8 +7206,9 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(md_allow_write);
 
 #define SYNC_MARKS	10
 #define	SYNC_MARK_STEP	(3*HZ)
-void md_do_sync(struct mddev *mddev)
+void md_do_sync(struct md_thread *thread)
 {
+	struct mddev *mddev = thread->mddev;
 	struct mddev *mddev2;
 	unsigned int currspeed = 0,
 		 window;
diff --git a/drivers/md/md.h b/drivers/md/md.h
index f385b038589..93ada214b50 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md.h
+++ b/drivers/md/md.h
@@ -540,12 +540,13 @@ static inline void sysfs_unlink_rdev(struct mddev *mddev, struct md_rdev *rdev)
 	list_for_each_entry_rcu(rdev, &((mddev)->disks), same_set)
 
 struct md_thread {
-	void			(*run) (struct mddev *mddev);
+	void			(*run) (struct md_thread *thread);
 	struct mddev		*mddev;
 	wait_queue_head_t	wqueue;
 	unsigned long           flags;
 	struct task_struct	*tsk;
 	unsigned long		timeout;
+	void			*private;
 };
 
 #define THREAD_WAKEUP  0
@@ -584,7 +585,7 @@ static inline void safe_put_page(struct page *p)
 extern int register_md_personality(struct md_personality *p);
 extern int unregister_md_personality(struct md_personality *p);
 extern struct md_thread *md_register_thread(
-	void (*run)(struct mddev *mddev),
+	void (*run)(struct md_thread *thread),
 	struct mddev *mddev,
 	const char *name);
 extern void md_unregister_thread(struct md_thread **threadp);
@@ -603,7 +604,7 @@ extern void md_super_write(struct mddev *mddev, struct md_rdev *rdev,
 extern void md_super_wait(struct mddev *mddev);
 extern int sync_page_io(struct md_rdev *rdev, sector_t sector, int size, 
 			struct page *page, int rw, bool metadata_op);
-extern void md_do_sync(struct mddev *mddev);
+extern void md_do_sync(struct md_thread *thread);
 extern void md_new_event(struct mddev *mddev);
 extern int md_allow_write(struct mddev *mddev);
 extern void md_wait_for_blocked_rdev(struct md_rdev *rdev, struct mddev *mddev);
diff --git a/drivers/md/multipath.c b/drivers/md/multipath.c
index 61a1833ebaf..1642eae75a3 100644
--- a/drivers/md/multipath.c
+++ b/drivers/md/multipath.c
@@ -335,8 +335,9 @@ abort:
  *	3.	Performs writes following reads for array syncronising.
  */
 
-static void multipathd (struct mddev *mddev)
+static void multipathd(struct md_thread *thread)
 {
+	struct mddev *mddev = thread->mddev;
 	struct multipath_bh *mp_bh;
 	struct bio *bio;
 	unsigned long flags;
diff --git a/drivers/md/raid1.c b/drivers/md/raid1.c
index 05c557e8f86..55ccf473053 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid1.c
+++ b/drivers/md/raid1.c
@@ -2294,8 +2294,9 @@ read_more:
 	}
 }
 
-static void raid1d(struct mddev *mddev)
+static void raid1d(struct md_thread *thread)
 {
+	struct mddev *mddev = thread->mddev;
 	struct r1bio *r1_bio;
 	unsigned long flags;
 	struct r1conf *conf = mddev->private;
diff --git a/drivers/md/raid10.c b/drivers/md/raid10.c
index 05dc96a950d..54860604d09 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid10.c
+++ b/drivers/md/raid10.c
@@ -2732,8 +2732,9 @@ static void handle_write_completed(struct r10conf *conf, struct r10bio *r10_bio)
 	}
 }
 
-static void raid10d(struct mddev *mddev)
+static void raid10d(struct md_thread *thread)
 {
+	struct mddev *mddev = thread->mddev;
 	struct r10bio *r10_bio;
 	unsigned long flags;
 	struct r10conf *conf = mddev->private;
diff --git a/drivers/md/raid5.c b/drivers/md/raid5.c
index adda94df5eb..81c02d63440 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid5.c
+++ b/drivers/md/raid5.c
@@ -4625,8 +4625,9 @@ static int handle_active_stripes(struct r5conf *conf)
  * During the scan, completed stripes are saved for us by the interrupt
  * handler, so that they will not have to wait for our next wakeup.
  */
-static void raid5d(struct mddev *mddev)
+static void raid5d(struct md_thread *thread)
 {
+	struct mddev *mddev = thread->mddev;
 	struct r5conf *conf = mddev->private;
 	int handled;
 	struct blk_plug plug;