diff --git a/scst/include/backport.h b/scst/include/backport.h
index 19e4cd246..4a9e65f48 100644
--- a/scst/include/backport.h
+++ b/scst/include/backport.h
@@ -30,9 +30,6 @@
 #endif
 #include <linux/eventpoll.h>
 #include <linux/iocontext.h>
-#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(3, 11, 0)
-#include <linux/percpu-refcount.h>
-#endif
 #include <linux/scatterlist.h>	/* struct scatterlist */
 #include <linux/slab.h>		/* kmalloc() */
 #include <linux/stddef.h>	/* sizeof_field() */
@@ -875,7 +872,43 @@ static inline struct ib_pd *ib_alloc_pd_backport(struct ib_device *device)
 #endif
 
 /* <linux/percpu-refcount.h> */
-#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE < KERNEL_VERSION(3, 11, 0) && RHEL_MAJOR -0 <= 6
+#if defined(RHEL_MAJOR) && RHEL_MAJOR -0 >= 7
+#include <linux/percpu-refcount.h>
+#elif LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(3, 11, 0)
+#include <linux/percpu-refcount.h>
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE < KERNEL_VERSION(3, 18, 0)
+/*
+ * See also commit 2aad2a86f668 ("percpu_ref: add PERCPU_REF_INIT_* flags")
+ * # v3.18.
+ */
+static inline int __must_check percpu_ref_init_backport(struct percpu_ref *ref,
+				 percpu_ref_func_t *release, unsigned int flags,
+				 gfp_t gfp)
+{
+	WARN_ON_ONCE(flags != 0);
+	WARN_ON_ONCE(gfp != GFP_KERNEL);
+	return percpu_ref_init(ref, release);
+}
+#define percpu_ref_init percpu_ref_init_backport
+#endif
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE < KERNEL_VERSION(3, 17, 0)
+/*
+ * See also commit 2d7227828e14 ("percpu-refcount: implement percpu_ref_reinit()
+ * and percpu_ref_is_zero()") # v3.17.
+ */
+static inline bool percpu_ref_is_zero(struct percpu_ref *ref)
+{
+	return !atomic_read(&ref->count);
+}
+/*
+ * See also commit 9a1049da9bd2 ("percpu-refcount: require percpu_ref to be
+ * exited explicitly") # v3.17.
+ */
+static inline void percpu_ref_exit(struct percpu_ref *ref)
+{
+}
+#endif
+#else
 struct percpu_ref;
 typedef void (percpu_ref_func_t)(struct percpu_ref *);
 
@@ -884,17 +917,11 @@ struct percpu_ref {
 	percpu_ref_func_t	*release;
 };
 
-/* @flags for percpu_ref_init() */
-enum {
-	PERCPU_REF_INIT_ATOMIC	= 1 << 0,
-	PERCPU_REF_INIT_DEAD	= 1 << 1,
-};
-
 static inline int __must_check percpu_ref_init(struct percpu_ref *ref,
 				 percpu_ref_func_t *release, unsigned int flags,
 				 gfp_t gfp)
 {
-	WARN_ON_ONCE(flags != PERCPU_REF_INIT_ATOMIC);
+	WARN_ON_ONCE(flags != 0);
 	atomic_long_set(&ref->count, 1);
 	ref->release = release;
 	return 0;
@@ -904,19 +931,6 @@ static inline void percpu_ref_exit(struct percpu_ref *ref)
 {
 }
 
-static inline void percpu_ref_switch_to_atomic(struct percpu_ref *ref,
-				 percpu_ref_func_t *confirm_switch)
-{
-}
-
-static inline void percpu_ref_switch_to_atomic_sync(struct percpu_ref *ref)
-{
-}
-
-static inline void percpu_ref_switch_to_percpu(struct percpu_ref *ref)
-{
-}
-
 static inline void percpu_ref_get(struct percpu_ref *ref)
 {
 	atomic_long_inc(&ref->count);
diff --git a/scst/src/scst_lib.c b/scst/src/scst_lib.c
index 62cd5e417..dabd921aa 100644
--- a/scst/src/scst_lib.c
+++ b/scst/src/scst_lib.c
@@ -4225,11 +4225,9 @@ int scst_alloc_device(gfp_t gfp_mask, int nodeid, struct scst_device **out_dev)
 
 	dev->handler = &scst_null_devtype;
 	INIT_WORK(&dev->free_work, scst_finally_free_device);
-	res = percpu_ref_init(&dev->refcnt, scst_release_device,
-			      PERCPU_REF_INIT_ATOMIC, GFP_KERNEL);
+	res = percpu_ref_init(&dev->refcnt, scst_release_device, 0, GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (res < 0)
 		goto free_dev;
-	percpu_ref_switch_to_percpu(&dev->refcnt);
 #ifdef CONFIG_SCST_PER_DEVICE_CMD_COUNT_LIMIT
 	atomic_set(&dev->dev_cmd_count, 0);
 #endif
@@ -7062,11 +7060,9 @@ struct scst_session *scst_alloc_session(struct scst_tgt *tgt, gfp_t gfp_mask,
 
 	sess->init_phase = SCST_SESS_IPH_INITING;
 	sess->shut_phase = SCST_SESS_SPH_READY;
-	ret = percpu_ref_init(&sess->refcnt, scst_sess_release,
-			      PERCPU_REF_INIT_ATOMIC, GFP_KERNEL);
+	ret = percpu_ref_init(&sess->refcnt, scst_sess_release, 0, GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (ret < 0)
 		goto out_free;
-	percpu_ref_switch_to_percpu(&sess->refcnt);
 	mutex_init(&sess->tgt_dev_list_mutex);
 	for (i = 0; i < SESS_TGT_DEV_LIST_HASH_SIZE; i++) {
 		struct list_head *head = &sess->sess_tgt_dev_list[i];