diff --git a/include/net/dst.h b/include/net/dst.h
index 3da47e0a4a1f..853cda11e518 100644
--- a/include/net/dst.h
+++ b/include/net/dst.h
@@ -36,13 +36,9 @@ struct dst_entry {
 	struct net_device       *dev;
 	struct  dst_ops	        *ops;
 	unsigned long		_metrics;
-	union {
-		unsigned long           expires;
-		/* point to where the dst_entry copied from */
-		struct dst_entry        *from;
-	};
+	unsigned long           expires;
 	struct dst_entry	*path;
-	void			*__pad0;
+	struct dst_entry	*from;
 #ifdef CONFIG_XFRM
 	struct xfrm_state	*xfrm;
 #else
diff --git a/include/net/ip6_fib.h b/include/net/ip6_fib.h
index 6919a501f99e..2a601e7da1bf 100644
--- a/include/net/ip6_fib.h
+++ b/include/net/ip6_fib.h
@@ -164,50 +164,35 @@ static inline struct inet6_dev *ip6_dst_idev(struct dst_entry *dst)
 
 static inline void rt6_clean_expires(struct rt6_info *rt)
 {
-	if (!(rt->rt6i_flags & RTF_EXPIRES) && rt->dst.from)
-		dst_release(rt->dst.from);
-
 	rt->rt6i_flags &= ~RTF_EXPIRES;
-	rt->dst.from = NULL;
 }
 
 static inline void rt6_set_expires(struct rt6_info *rt, unsigned long expires)
 {
-	if (!(rt->rt6i_flags & RTF_EXPIRES) && rt->dst.from)
-		dst_release(rt->dst.from);
-
-	rt->rt6i_flags |= RTF_EXPIRES;
 	rt->dst.expires = expires;
+	rt->rt6i_flags |= RTF_EXPIRES;
 }
 
-static inline void rt6_update_expires(struct rt6_info *rt, int timeout)
+static inline void rt6_update_expires(struct rt6_info *rt0, int timeout)
 {
-	if (!(rt->rt6i_flags & RTF_EXPIRES)) {
-		if (rt->dst.from)
-			dst_release(rt->dst.from);
-		/* dst_set_expires relies on expires == 0 
-		 * if it has not been set previously.
-		 */
-		rt->dst.expires = 0;
-	}
+	struct rt6_info *rt;
 
-	dst_set_expires(&rt->dst, timeout);
-	rt->rt6i_flags |= RTF_EXPIRES;
+	for (rt = rt0; rt && !(rt->rt6i_flags & RTF_EXPIRES);
+	     rt = (struct rt6_info *)rt->dst.from);
+	if (rt && rt != rt0)
+		rt0->dst.expires = rt->dst.expires;
+
+	dst_set_expires(&rt0->dst, timeout);
+	rt0->rt6i_flags |= RTF_EXPIRES;
 }
 
 static inline void rt6_set_from(struct rt6_info *rt, struct rt6_info *from)
 {
 	struct dst_entry *new = (struct dst_entry *) from;
 
-	if (!(rt->rt6i_flags & RTF_EXPIRES) && rt->dst.from) {
-		if (new == rt->dst.from)
-			return;
-		dst_release(rt->dst.from);
-	}
-
 	rt->rt6i_flags &= ~RTF_EXPIRES;
-	rt->dst.from = new;
 	dst_hold(new);
+	rt->dst.from = new;
 }
 
 static inline void ip6_rt_put(struct rt6_info *rt)
diff --git a/net/core/dst.c b/net/core/dst.c
index ee6153e2cf43..35fd12f1a69c 100644
--- a/net/core/dst.c
+++ b/net/core/dst.c
@@ -179,6 +179,7 @@ void *dst_alloc(struct dst_ops *ops, struct net_device *dev,
 	dst_init_metrics(dst, dst_default_metrics, true);
 	dst->expires = 0UL;
 	dst->path = dst;
+	dst->from = NULL;
 #ifdef CONFIG_XFRM
 	dst->xfrm = NULL;
 #endif
diff --git a/net/ipv6/route.c b/net/ipv6/route.c
index 515bb51e05a8..928266569689 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/route.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/route.c
@@ -287,6 +287,7 @@ static void ip6_dst_destroy(struct dst_entry *dst)
 {
 	struct rt6_info *rt = (struct rt6_info *)dst;
 	struct inet6_dev *idev = rt->rt6i_idev;
+	struct dst_entry *from = dst->from;
 
 	if (!(rt->dst.flags & DST_HOST))
 		dst_destroy_metrics_generic(dst);
@@ -296,8 +297,8 @@ static void ip6_dst_destroy(struct dst_entry *dst)
 		in6_dev_put(idev);
 	}
 
-	if (!(rt->rt6i_flags & RTF_EXPIRES) && dst->from)
-		dst_release(dst->from);
+	dst->from = NULL;
+	dst_release(from);
 
 	if (rt6_has_peer(rt)) {
 		struct inet_peer *peer = rt6_peer_ptr(rt);
@@ -1010,7 +1011,6 @@ struct dst_entry *ip6_blackhole_route(struct net *net, struct dst_entry *dst_ori
 
 		rt->rt6i_gateway = ort->rt6i_gateway;
 		rt->rt6i_flags = ort->rt6i_flags;
-		rt6_clean_expires(rt);
 		rt->rt6i_metric = 0;
 
 		memcpy(&rt->rt6i_dst, &ort->rt6i_dst, sizeof(struct rt6key));
@@ -1784,8 +1784,6 @@ static struct rt6_info *ip6_rt_copy(struct rt6_info *ort,
 		if ((ort->rt6i_flags & (RTF_DEFAULT | RTF_ADDRCONF)) ==
 		    (RTF_DEFAULT | RTF_ADDRCONF))
 			rt6_set_from(rt, ort);
-		else
-			rt6_clean_expires(rt);
 		rt->rt6i_metric = 0;
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_IPV6_SUBTREES