diff -r 12122e34b96f linux-2.6-xen-sparse/arch/xen/kernel/evtchn.c
--- a/linux-2.6-xen-sparse/arch/xen/kernel/evtchn.c	Thu Jul 14 22:33:25 2005
+++ b/linux-2.6-xen-sparse/arch/xen/kernel/evtchn.c	Thu Jul 14 16:51:46 2005
@@ -341,6 +341,20 @@
     spin_unlock(&irq_mapping_update_lock);
 }
 
+int request_evtchn(int evtchn, evtchn_handler handler,
+                   unsigned long irqflags, const char * devname, void *dev_id)
+{
+    int irq = bind_evtchn_to_irq(evtchn);
+    return request_irq(irq, handler, irqflags, devname, dev_id);
+}
+
+void free_evtchn(int evtchn, void *dev_id)
+{
+    int irq = evtchn_to_irq[evtchn];
+    free_irq(irq, dev_id);
+    unbind_evtchn_from_irq(evtchn);
+}
+
 static void do_nothing_function(void *ign)
 {
 }
diff -r 12122e34b96f linux-2.6-xen-sparse/drivers/xen/blkback/common.h
--- a/linux-2.6-xen-sparse/drivers/xen/blkback/common.h	Thu Jul 14 22:33:25 2005
+++ b/linux-2.6-xen-sparse/drivers/xen/blkback/common.h	Thu Jul 14 16:51:46 2005
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@
     /* Physical parameters of the comms window. */
     unsigned long     shmem_frame;
     unsigned int      evtchn;
-    int               irq;
     /* Comms information. */
     blkif_back_ring_t blk_ring;
     /* VBDs attached to this interface. */
diff -r 12122e34b96f linux-2.6-xen-sparse/drivers/xen/blkback/interface.c
--- a/linux-2.6-xen-sparse/drivers/xen/blkback/interface.c	Thu Jul 14 22:33:25 2005
+++ b/linux-2.6-xen-sparse/drivers/xen/blkback/interface.c	Thu Jul 14 16:51:46 2005
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
      * may be outstanding requests at the disc whose asynchronous responses
      * must still be notified to the remote driver.
      */
-    unbind_evtchn_from_irq(blkif->evtchn);
+    free_evtchn(blkif->evtchn, blkif);
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_XEN_BLKDEV_GRANT
     {
@@ -247,12 +247,11 @@
     BACK_RING_INIT(&blkif->blk_ring, sring, PAGE_SIZE);
     
     blkif->evtchn        = evtchn;
-    blkif->irq           = bind_evtchn_to_irq(evtchn);
     blkif->shmem_frame   = shmem_frame;
     blkif->status        = CONNECTED;
     blkif_get(blkif);
 
-    request_irq(blkif->irq, blkif_be_int, 0, "blkif-backend", blkif);
+    request_evtchn(blkif->evtchn, blkif_be_int, 0, "blkif-backend", blkif);
 
     connect->status = BLKIF_BE_STATUS_OKAY;
 }
@@ -277,7 +276,6 @@
         blkif->status = DISCONNECTING;
         blkif->disconnect_rspid = rsp_id;
         wmb(); /* Let other CPUs see the status change. */
-        free_irq(blkif->irq, blkif);
         blkif_deschedule(blkif);
         blkif_put(blkif);
         return 0; /* Caller should not send response message. */
diff -r 12122e34b96f linux-2.6-xen-sparse/drivers/xen/blkfront/blkfront.c
--- a/linux-2.6-xen-sparse/drivers/xen/blkfront/blkfront.c	Thu Jul 14 22:33:25 2005
+++ b/linux-2.6-xen-sparse/drivers/xen/blkfront/blkfront.c	Thu Jul 14 16:51:46 2005
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@
 static int blkif_handle = 0;
 static unsigned int blkif_state = BLKIF_STATE_CLOSED;
 static unsigned int blkif_evtchn = 0;
-static unsigned int blkif_irq = 0;
 
 static int blkif_control_rsp_valid;
 static blkif_response_t blkif_control_rsp;
@@ -1159,10 +1158,7 @@
         free_page((unsigned long)blk_ring.sring);
         blk_ring.sring = NULL;
     }
-    free_irq(blkif_irq, NULL);
-    blkif_irq = 0;
-    
-    unbind_evtchn_from_irq(blkif_evtchn);
+    free_evtchn(blkif_evtchn, NULL);
     blkif_evtchn = 0;
 }
 
@@ -1266,12 +1262,11 @@
     int err = 0;
 
     blkif_evtchn = status->evtchn;
-    blkif_irq    = bind_evtchn_to_irq(blkif_evtchn);
-
-    err = request_irq(blkif_irq, blkif_int, SA_SAMPLE_RANDOM, "blkif", NULL);
+
+    err = request_evtchn(blkif_evtchn, blkif_int, SA_SAMPLE_RANDOM, "blkif", NULL);
     if ( err )
     {
-        WPRINTK("request_irq failed (err=%d)\n", err);
+        WPRINTK("request_evtchn failed (err=%d)\n", err);
         return;
     }
 
diff -r 12122e34b96f linux-2.6-xen-sparse/include/asm-xen/evtchn.h
--- a/linux-2.6-xen-sparse/include/asm-xen/evtchn.h	Thu Jul 14 22:33:25 2005
+++ b/linux-2.6-xen-sparse/include/asm-xen/evtchn.h	Thu Jul 14 16:51:46 2005
@@ -41,6 +41,11 @@
 /*
  * LOW-LEVEL DEFINITIONS
  */
+
+/* Binding to event channels */
+typedef int (*evtchn_handler)(int dummy, void *dev_id, struct pt_regs *regs);
+int request_evtchn(int evtchn, evtchn_handler handler, unsigned long irqflags, const char *devname, void *dev_id);
+void free_evtchn(int evtchn, void *dev_id);
 
 /* Entry point for notifications into Linux subsystems. */
 asmlinkage void evtchn_do_upcall(struct pt_regs *regs);