diff --git a/include/net/ip_vs.h b/include/net/ip_vs.h
index b7bbd6c28cfa..be2b5690f892 100644
--- a/include/net/ip_vs.h
+++ b/include/net/ip_vs.h
@@ -422,6 +422,7 @@ struct ip_vs_conn {
 	struct ip_vs_seq        in_seq;         /* incoming seq. struct */
 	struct ip_vs_seq        out_seq;        /* outgoing seq. struct */
 
+	const struct ip_vs_pe	*pe;
 	char			*pe_data;
 	__u8			pe_data_len;
 };
@@ -814,8 +815,19 @@ void ip_vs_bind_pe(struct ip_vs_service *svc, struct ip_vs_pe *pe);
 void ip_vs_unbind_pe(struct ip_vs_service *svc);
 int register_ip_vs_pe(struct ip_vs_pe *pe);
 int unregister_ip_vs_pe(struct ip_vs_pe *pe);
-extern struct ip_vs_pe *ip_vs_pe_get(const char *name);
-extern void ip_vs_pe_put(struct ip_vs_pe *pe);
+struct ip_vs_pe *ip_vs_pe_getbyname(const char *name);
+
+static inline void ip_vs_pe_get(const struct ip_vs_pe *pe)
+{
+	if (pe && pe->module)
+		__module_get(pe->module);
+}
+
+static inline void ip_vs_pe_put(const struct ip_vs_pe *pe)
+{
+	if (pe && pe->module)
+		module_put(pe->module);
+}
 
 /*
  *	IPVS protocol functions (from ip_vs_proto.c)
diff --git a/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_conn.c b/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_conn.c
index e9adecdc8ca4..64a9ca314100 100644
--- a/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_conn.c
+++ b/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_conn.c
@@ -176,8 +176,8 @@ static unsigned int ip_vs_conn_hashkey_conn(const struct ip_vs_conn *cp)
 	ip_vs_conn_fill_param(cp->af, cp->protocol, &cp->caddr, cp->cport,
 			      NULL, 0, &p);
 
-	if (cp->dest && cp->dest->svc->pe) {
-		p.pe = cp->dest->svc->pe;
+	if (cp->pe) {
+		p.pe = cp->pe;
 		p.pe_data = cp->pe_data;
 		p.pe_data_len = cp->pe_data_len;
 	}
@@ -765,6 +765,7 @@ static void ip_vs_conn_expire(unsigned long data)
 		if (cp->flags & IP_VS_CONN_F_NFCT)
 			ip_vs_conn_drop_conntrack(cp);
 
+		ip_vs_pe_put(cp->pe);
 		kfree(cp->pe_data);
 		if (unlikely(cp->app != NULL))
 			ip_vs_unbind_app(cp);
@@ -826,7 +827,9 @@ ip_vs_conn_new(const struct ip_vs_conn_param *p,
 			&cp->daddr, daddr);
 	cp->dport          = dport;
 	cp->flags	   = flags;
-	if (flags & IP_VS_CONN_F_TEMPLATE && p->pe_data) {
+	if (flags & IP_VS_CONN_F_TEMPLATE && p->pe) {
+		ip_vs_pe_get(p->pe);
+		cp->pe = p->pe;
 		cp->pe_data = p->pe_data;
 		cp->pe_data_len = p->pe_data_len;
 	}
@@ -958,15 +961,13 @@ static int ip_vs_conn_seq_show(struct seq_file *seq, void *v)
 		char pe_data[IP_VS_PENAME_MAXLEN + IP_VS_PEDATA_MAXLEN + 3];
 		size_t len = 0;
 
-		if (cp->dest && cp->pe_data &&
-		    cp->dest->svc->pe->show_pe_data) {
+		if (cp->pe_data) {
 			pe_data[0] = ' ';
-			len = strlen(cp->dest->svc->pe->name);
-			memcpy(pe_data + 1, cp->dest->svc->pe->name, len);
+			len = strlen(cp->pe->name);
+			memcpy(pe_data + 1, cp->pe->name, len);
 			pe_data[len + 1] = ' ';
 			len += 2;
-			len += cp->dest->svc->pe->show_pe_data(cp,
-							       pe_data + len);
+			len += cp->pe->show_pe_data(cp, pe_data + len);
 		}
 		pe_data[len] = '\0';
 
diff --git a/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_ctl.c b/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_ctl.c
index 5f5daa30b0af..3e92558dfcc2 100644
--- a/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_ctl.c
+++ b/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_ctl.c
@@ -1139,7 +1139,7 @@ ip_vs_add_service(struct ip_vs_service_user_kern *u,
 	}
 
 	if (u->pe_name && *u->pe_name) {
-		pe = ip_vs_pe_get(u->pe_name);
+		pe = ip_vs_pe_getbyname(u->pe_name);
 		if (pe == NULL) {
 			pr_info("persistence engine module ip_vs_pe_%s "
 				"not found\n", u->pe_name);
@@ -1250,7 +1250,7 @@ ip_vs_edit_service(struct ip_vs_service *svc, struct ip_vs_service_user_kern *u)
 	old_sched = sched;
 
 	if (u->pe_name && *u->pe_name) {
-		pe = ip_vs_pe_get(u->pe_name);
+		pe = ip_vs_pe_getbyname(u->pe_name);
 		if (pe == NULL) {
 			pr_info("persistence engine module ip_vs_pe_%s "
 				"not found\n", u->pe_name);
diff --git a/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_pe.c b/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_pe.c
index 3414af70ee12..e99f920b93d1 100644
--- a/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_pe.c
+++ b/net/netfilter/ipvs/ip_vs_pe.c
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ void ip_vs_unbind_pe(struct ip_vs_service *svc)
 
 /* Get pe in the pe list by name */
 static struct ip_vs_pe *
-ip_vs_pe_getbyname(const char *pe_name)
+__ip_vs_pe_getbyname(const char *pe_name)
 {
 	struct ip_vs_pe *pe;
 
@@ -60,28 +60,22 @@ ip_vs_pe_getbyname(const char *pe_name)
 }
 
 /* Lookup pe and try to load it if it doesn't exist */
-struct ip_vs_pe *ip_vs_pe_get(const char *name)
+struct ip_vs_pe *ip_vs_pe_getbyname(const char *name)
 {
 	struct ip_vs_pe *pe;
 
 	/* Search for the pe by name */
-	pe = ip_vs_pe_getbyname(name);
+	pe = __ip_vs_pe_getbyname(name);
 
 	/* If pe not found, load the module and search again */
 	if (!pe) {
 		request_module("ip_vs_pe_%s", name);
-		pe = ip_vs_pe_getbyname(name);
+		pe = __ip_vs_pe_getbyname(name);
 	}
 
 	return pe;
 }
 
-void ip_vs_pe_put(struct ip_vs_pe *pe)
-{
-	if (pe && pe->module)
-		module_put(pe->module);
-}
-
 /* Register a pe in the pe list */
 int register_ip_vs_pe(struct ip_vs_pe *pe)
 {