diff --git a/iscsi-scst/kernel/iscsi.c b/iscsi-scst/kernel/iscsi.c
index dd53fb96f..e24fb7e18 100644
--- a/iscsi-scst/kernel/iscsi.c
+++ b/iscsi-scst/kernel/iscsi.c
@@ -1502,11 +1502,8 @@ static void cmnd_prepare_get_rejected_immed_data(struct iscsi_cmnd *cmnd)
 		e = min_t(u32, s, PAGE_SIZE);
 		conn->read_iov[i].iov_len = e;
 	}
-#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 20, 0)
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(3, 19, 0)
 	iov_iter_kvec(&conn->read_msg.msg_iter, READ, conn->read_iov, i, size);
-#elif LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(3, 19, 0)
-	iov_iter_kvec(&conn->read_msg.msg_iter, READ | ITER_KVEC,
-		      conn->read_iov, i, size);
 #else
 	conn->read_msg.msg_iov = conn->read_iov;
 	conn->read_msg.msg_iovlen = i;
@@ -1654,12 +1651,9 @@ static int cmnd_prepare_recv_pdu(struct iscsi_conn *conn,
 	}
 
 	i++;
-#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 20, 0)
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(3, 19, 0)
 	iov_iter_kvec(&conn->read_msg.msg_iter, READ, conn->read_iov, i,
 		      read_size);
-#elif LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(3, 19, 0)
-	iov_iter_kvec(&conn->read_msg.msg_iter, READ | ITER_KVEC,
-		      conn->read_iov, i, read_size);
 #else
 	conn->read_msg.msg_iov = conn->read_iov;
 	conn->read_msg.msg_iovlen = i;
@@ -1850,12 +1844,9 @@ static int nop_out_start(struct iscsi_cmnd *cmnd)
 			sBUG_ON(size != 0);
 		}
 
-#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 20, 0)
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(3, 19, 0)
 		iov_iter_kvec(&conn->read_msg.msg_iter, READ, conn->read_iov,
 			      i, cmnd->pdu.datasize);
-#elif LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(3, 19, 0)
-		iov_iter_kvec(&conn->read_msg.msg_iter, READ | ITER_KVEC,
-			      conn->read_iov, i, cmnd->pdu.datasize);
 #else
 		conn->read_msg.msg_iov = conn->read_iov;
 		conn->read_msg.msg_iovlen = i;
diff --git a/iscsi-scst/kernel/nthread.c b/iscsi-scst/kernel/nthread.c
index e36727230..fba58efb3 100644
--- a/iscsi-scst/kernel/nthread.c
+++ b/iscsi-scst/kernel/nthread.c
@@ -463,11 +463,8 @@ static inline void iscsi_conn_init_read(struct iscsi_conn *conn,
 {
 	conn->read_iov[0].iov_base = data;
 	conn->read_iov[0].iov_len = len;
-#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 20, 0)
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(3, 19, 0)
 	iov_iter_kvec(&conn->read_msg.msg_iter, READ, conn->read_iov, 1, len);
-#elif LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(3, 19, 0)
-	iov_iter_kvec(&conn->read_msg.msg_iter, READ | ITER_KVEC,
-		      conn->read_iov, 1, len);
 #else
 	conn->read_msg.msg_iov = conn->read_iov;
 	conn->read_msg.msg_iovlen = 1;
diff --git a/scst/include/backport.h b/scst/include/backport.h
index baba92f5e..357e9bec2 100644
--- a/scst/include/backport.h
+++ b/scst/include/backport.h
@@ -1544,6 +1544,32 @@ typedef unsigned long uintptr_t;
 char *kvasprintf(gfp_t gfp, const char *fmt, va_list ap);
 #endif
 
+/* <linux/uio.h> */
+
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(3, 19, 0)
+/* See also commit abb78f875f3f ("new helper: iov_iter_kvec()") # v3.19. */
+static inline void
+iov_iter_kvec_backport(struct iov_iter *i, unsigned int direction,
+		       const struct kvec *kvec, unsigned long nr_segs,
+		       size_t count)
+{
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 20, 0) ||	\
+	(defined(RHEL_MAJOR) && \
+	 (RHEL_MAJOR -0 > 8 || (RHEL_MAJOR -0 == 8 && RHEL_MINOR -0 >= 2)))
+	/*
+	 * For iov_iter_kvec() implementations that have a WARN_ON(direction &
+	 * ~(READ | WRITE)) statement. See also commit aa563d7bca6e ("iov_iter:
+	 * Separate type from direction and use accessor functions") # v4.20.
+	 */
+	iov_iter_kvec(i, direction, kvec, nr_segs, count);
+#else
+	iov_iter_kvec(i, ITER_KVEC | direction, kvec, nr_segs, count);
+#endif
+}
+
+#define iov_iter_kvec iov_iter_kvec_backport
+#endif
+
 /* <linux/unaligned.h> */
 
 #if defined(RHEL_MAJOR) && RHEL_MAJOR -0 <= 5
diff --git a/scst/src/dev_handlers/scst_vdisk.c b/scst/src/dev_handlers/scst_vdisk.c
index 737dd28df..39c4e9971 100644
--- a/scst/src/dev_handlers/scst_vdisk.c
+++ b/scst/src/dev_handlers/scst_vdisk.c
@@ -3262,11 +3262,7 @@ static enum compl_status_e fileio_exec_async(struct vdisk_cmd_params *p)
 
 	WARN_ON_ONCE(sg_cnt != cmd->sg_cnt);
 
-#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 20, 0)
 	iov_iter_kvec(&iter, dir, p->async.kvec, sg_cnt, total);
-#else
-	iov_iter_kvec(&iter, ITER_KVEC | dir, p->async.kvec, sg_cnt, total);
-#endif
 	*iocb = (struct kiocb) {
 		.ki_pos = p->loff,
 		.ki_filp = fd,