diff --git a/scst/include/scst.h b/scst/include/scst.h
index 20e2c6685..9f10f9fa7 100644
--- a/scst/include/scst.h
+++ b/scst/include/scst.h
@@ -1965,6 +1965,7 @@ struct scst_cmd_threads {
 	int io_context_refcnt;
 
 	bool io_context_ready;
+	wait_queue_head_t io_context_wait;
 
 	/* io_context_mutex protects io_context and io_context_refcnt. */
 	struct mutex io_context_mutex;
diff --git a/scst/src/scst_lib.c b/scst/src/scst_lib.c
index 669cafdb7..1b17d3828 100644
--- a/scst/src/scst_lib.c
+++ b/scst/src/scst_lib.c
@@ -4331,13 +4331,7 @@ found:
 			t->acg_dev->acg->acg_io_grouping_type);
 	} else {
 		res = t;
-		if (!*(volatile bool *)&res->active_cmd_threads->io_context_ready) {
-			TRACE_DBG("IO context for t %p not yet "
-				"initialized, waiting...", t);
-			msleep(100);
-			goto found;
-		}
-		smp_rmb();
+		scst_wait_ioctx(res->active_cmd_threads);
 		TRACE_DBG("Going to share IO context %p (res %p, ini %s, "
 			"dev %s, cmd_threads %p, grouping type %d)",
 			res->active_cmd_threads->io_context, res,
diff --git a/scst/src/scst_main.c b/scst/src/scst_main.c
index 3992b2d50..05a5d87e1 100644
--- a/scst/src/scst_main.c
+++ b/scst/src/scst_main.c
@@ -1930,12 +1930,7 @@ out_wait:
 		 * Wait for io_context gets initialized to avoid possible races
 		 * for it from the sharing it tgt_devs.
 		 */
-		while (!*(volatile bool *)&cmd_threads->io_context_ready) {
-			TRACE_DBG("Waiting for io_context for cmd_threads %p "
-				"initialized", cmd_threads);
-			msleep(50);
-		}
-		smp_rmb();
+		scst_wait_ioctx(cmd_threads);
 	}
 
 	if (res != 0)
@@ -2193,6 +2188,7 @@ void scst_init_threads(struct scst_cmd_threads *cmd_threads)
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&cmd_threads->threads_list);
 	mutex_init(&cmd_threads->io_context_mutex);
 	spin_lock_init(&cmd_threads->thr_lock);
+	init_waitqueue_head(&cmd_threads->io_context_wait);
 
 	mutex_lock(&scst_cmd_threads_mutex);
 	list_add_tail(&cmd_threads->lists_list_entry,
diff --git a/scst/src/scst_priv.h b/scst/src/scst_priv.h
index 5f016fb08..28ec3c1e4 100644
--- a/scst/src/scst_priv.h
+++ b/scst/src/scst_priv.h
@@ -214,6 +214,8 @@ struct scst_cmd_thread_t {
 	bool		 being_stopped;
 };
 
+void scst_wait_ioctx(struct scst_cmd_threads *tp);
+
 static inline bool scst_set_io_context(struct scst_cmd *cmd,
 	struct io_context **old)
 {
diff --git a/scst/src/scst_targ.c b/scst/src/scst_targ.c
index 2bb613b5c..deb8af02f 100644
--- a/scst/src/scst_targ.c
+++ b/scst/src/scst_targ.c
@@ -4650,6 +4650,20 @@ int scst_init_thread(void *arg)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/**
+ * scst_wait_ioctx_timeout() - wait until an I/O context becomes available
+ * @tp: Thread pool to wait on.
+ *
+ * Returns the number of jiffies remaining if the I/O context became available
+ * in time and zero if the I/O context did not become available in time.
+ */
+void scst_wait_ioctx(struct scst_cmd_threads *tp)
+{
+	wait_event(tp->io_context_wait,
+		   *(volatile bool *)&tp->io_context_ready);
+	smp_rmb();
+}
+
 /**
  * scst_ioctx_get() - Associate an I/O context with a thread.
  *
@@ -4717,7 +4731,8 @@ See "http://lkml.org/lkml/2012/7/17/515" for more details.
 
 	smp_wmb();
 	p_cmd_threads->io_context_ready = true;
-	return;
+
+	wake_up_all(&p_cmd_threads->io_context_wait);
 }
 
 /**