diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/cluster/tcp.c b/fs/ocfs2/cluster/tcp.c
index 9aa426e..92de96c 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/cluster/tcp.c
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/cluster/tcp.c
@@ -355,6 +355,7 @@
 		sc->sc_sock = NULL;
 	}
 
+	o2nm_undepend_item(&sc->sc_node->nd_item);
 	o2nm_node_put(sc->sc_node);
 	sc->sc_node = NULL;
 
@@ -376,6 +377,7 @@
 {
 	struct o2net_sock_container *sc, *ret = NULL;
 	struct page *page = NULL;
+	int status = 0;
 
 	page = alloc_page(GFP_NOFS);
 	sc = kzalloc(sizeof(*sc), GFP_NOFS);
@@ -386,6 +388,13 @@
 	o2nm_node_get(node);
 	sc->sc_node = node;
 
+	/* pin the node item of the remote node */
+	status = o2nm_depend_item(&node->nd_item);
+	if (status) {
+		mlog_errno(status);
+		o2nm_node_put(node);
+		goto out;
+	}
 	INIT_WORK(&sc->sc_connect_work, o2net_sc_connect_completed);
 	INIT_WORK(&sc->sc_rx_work, o2net_rx_until_empty);
 	INIT_WORK(&sc->sc_shutdown_work, o2net_shutdown_sc);