* problem with /dev/net/tun, which if held open by this
         * thread, prevents the TUN/TAP device from being reused.
         */
-       err = run_helper_thread(winch_thread, &data, CLONE_FILES, stack_out, 0);
+       err = run_helper_thread(winch_thread, &data, CLONE_FILES, stack_out);
        if(err < 0){
                printk("fork of winch_thread failed - errno = %d\n", -err);
                goto out_close;
 
                args = pid_args;
        }
 
-       pid = run_helper(pre_exec, &data, args, NULL);
+       pid = run_helper(pre_exec, &data, args);
 
        os_close_file(out_fds[0]);
        os_close_file(in_fds[1]);
 
        }
        pe_data.close_me = fds[0];
        pe_data.stdout = fds[1];
-       pid = run_helper(change_pre_exec, &pe_data, argv, NULL);
+       pid = run_helper(change_pre_exec, &pe_data, argv);
 
        if (pid > 0)    /* Avoid hang as we won't get data in failure case. */
                read_output(fds[0], output, output_len);
 
                { .sock_fd              = new,
                  .pipe_fd              = socket[1] });
 
-       err = run_helper(port_pre_exec, &data, argv, NULL);
+       err = run_helper(port_pre_exec, &data, argv);
        if(err < 0)
                goto out_shutdown;
 
 
        pe_data.stdin = fd;
        pe_data.stdout = fds[1];
        pe_data.close_me = fds[0];
-       err = run_helper(slip_pre_exec, &pe_data, argv, NULL);
+       err = run_helper(slip_pre_exec, &pe_data, argv);
        if(err < 0)
                goto out_close;
        pid = err;
 
 
        pe_data.stdin = fd;
        pe_data.stdout = fd;
-       pid = run_helper(slirp_pre_exec, &pe_data, argv, NULL);
+       pid = run_helper(slirp_pre_exec, &pe_data, argv);
 
        return(pid);
 }
 
        }
 
        sprintf(title, data->title, data->device);
-       pid = run_helper(NULL, NULL, argv, NULL);
+       pid = run_helper(NULL, NULL, argv);
        if (pid < 0) {
                err = pid;
                printk(UM_KERN_ERR "xterm_open : run_helper failed, "
 
 /* execvp.c */
 extern int execvp_noalloc(char *buf, const char *file, char *const argv[]);
 /* helper.c */
-extern int run_helper(void (*pre_exec)(void *), void *pre_data, char **argv,
-                     unsigned long *stack_out);
+extern int run_helper(void (*pre_exec)(void *), void *pre_data, char **argv);
 extern int run_helper_thread(int (*proc)(void *), void *arg,
-                            unsigned int flags, unsigned long *stack_out,
-                            int stack_order);
+                            unsigned int flags, unsigned long *stack_out);
 extern int helper_wait(int pid);
 
 
 
 static int aio_req_fd_r = -1;
 static int aio_req_fd_w = -1;
 static int aio_pid = -1;
+static unsigned long aio_stack;
 
 static int not_aio_thread(void *arg)
 {
 
 static int init_aio_24(void)
 {
-       unsigned long stack;
        int fds[2], err;
 
        err = os_pipe(fds, 1, 1);
                goto out_close_pipe;
 
        err = run_helper_thread(not_aio_thread, NULL,
-                               CLONE_FILES | CLONE_VM | SIGCHLD, &stack, 0);
+                               CLONE_FILES | CLONE_VM | SIGCHLD, &aio_stack);
        if(err < 0)
                goto out_close_pipe;
 
 #define DEFAULT_24_AIO 0
 static int init_aio_26(void)
 {
-       unsigned long stack;
        int err;
 
        if(io_setup(256, &ctx)){
        }
 
        err = run_helper_thread(aio_thread, NULL,
-                               CLONE_FILES | CLONE_VM | SIGCHLD, &stack, 0);
+                               CLONE_FILES | CLONE_VM | SIGCHLD, &aio_stack);
        if(err < 0)
                return err;
 
 
 static void exit_aio(void)
 {
-       if(aio_pid != -1)
+       if (aio_pid != -1) {
                os_kill_process(aio_pid, 1);
+               free_stack(aio_stack, 0);
+       }
 }
 
 __uml_exitcall(exit_aio);
 
        pe_data.control_remote = control_remote;
        pe_data.control_me = control_me;
        pe_data.data_me = data_me;
-       pid = run_helper(etap_pre_exec, &pe_data, args, NULL);
+       pid = run_helper(etap_pre_exec, &pe_data, args);
 
        if(pid < 0)
                err = pid;
 
        data.stdout = remote;
        data.close_me = me;
 
-       pid = run_helper(tuntap_pre_exec, &data, argv, NULL);
+       pid = run_helper(tuntap_pre_exec, &data, argv);
 
        if(pid < 0)
                return -pid;
 
 /* Returns either the pid of the child process we run or -E* on failure.
  * XXX The alloc_stack here breaks if this is called in the tracing thread, so
  * we need to receive a preallocated stack (a local buffer is ok). */
-int run_helper(void (*pre_exec)(void *), void *pre_data, char **argv,
-              unsigned long *stack_out)
+int run_helper(void (*pre_exec)(void *), void *pre_data, char **argv)
 {
        struct helper_data data;
        unsigned long stack, sp;
        int pid, fds[2], ret, n;
 
-       if ((stack_out != NULL) && (*stack_out != 0))
-               stack = *stack_out;
-       else
-               stack = alloc_stack(0, __cant_sleep());
+       stack = alloc_stack(0, __cant_sleep());
        if (stack == 0)
                return -ENOMEM;
 
                close(fds[1]);
        close(fds[0]);
 out_free:
-       if ((stack_out == NULL) || (*stack_out == 0))
-               free_stack(stack, 0);
+       free_stack(stack, 0);
        return ret;
 }
 
 int run_helper_thread(int (*proc)(void *), void *arg, unsigned int flags,
-                     unsigned long *stack_out, int stack_order)
+                     unsigned long *stack_out)
 {
        unsigned long stack, sp;
        int pid, status, err;
 
-       stack = alloc_stack(stack_order, __cant_sleep());
+       stack = alloc_stack(0, __cant_sleep());
        if (stack == 0)
                return -ENOMEM;
 
-       sp = stack + (UM_KERN_PAGE_SIZE << stack_order) - sizeof(void *);
+       sp = stack + UM_KERN_PAGE_SIZE - sizeof(void *);
        pid = clone(proc, (void *) sp, flags | SIGCHLD, arg);
        if (pid < 0) {
                err = -errno;
                if (!WIFEXITED(status) || (WEXITSTATUS(status) != 0))
                        printk("run_helper_thread - thread returned status "
                               "0x%x\n", status);
-               free_stack(stack, stack_order);
+               free_stack(stack, 0);
        } else
                *stack_out = stack;
        return pid;
 
  * exitcall.
  */
 static int write_sigio_pid = -1;
+static unsigned long write_sigio_stack;
 
 /* These arrays are initialized before the sigio thread is started, and
  * the descriptors closed after it is killed.  So, it can't see them change.
        return;
  fail:
        /* Critical section start */
-       if(write_sigio_pid != -1)
+       if (write_sigio_pid != -1) {
                os_kill_process(write_sigio_pid, 1);
+               free_stack(write_sigio_stack, 0);
+       }
        write_sigio_pid = -1;
        close(sigio_private[0]);
        close(sigio_private[1]);
 
 static void write_sigio_workaround(void)
 {
-       unsigned long stack;
        struct pollfd *p;
        int err;
        int l_write_sigio_fds[2];
        memcpy(sigio_private, l_sigio_private, sizeof(l_sigio_private));
 
        write_sigio_pid = run_helper_thread(write_sigio_thread, NULL,
-                                           CLONE_FILES | CLONE_VM, &stack, 0);
+                                           CLONE_FILES | CLONE_VM,
+                                           &write_sigio_stack);
 
        if (write_sigio_pid < 0)
                goto out_clear;
 
 static void sigio_cleanup(void)
 {
-       if(write_sigio_pid != -1){
-               os_kill_process(write_sigio_pid, 1);
-               write_sigio_pid = -1;
-       }
+       if (write_sigio_pid == -1)
+               return;
+
+       os_kill_process(write_sigio_pid, 1);
+       free_stack(write_sigio_stack, 0);
+       write_sigio_pid = -1;
 }
 
 __uml_exitcall(sigio_cleanup);