diff --git a/fs/reiserfs/namei.c b/fs/reiserfs/namei.c
index c8123308e060..284f7852de8b 100644
--- a/fs/reiserfs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/reiserfs/namei.c
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ static int linear_search_in_dir_item(struct cpu_key *key,
 		/* mark, that this generation number is used */
 		if (de->de_gen_number_bit_string)
 			set_bit(GET_GENERATION_NUMBER(deh_offset(deh)),
-				(unsigned long *)de->de_gen_number_bit_string);
+				de->de_gen_number_bit_string);
 
 		// calculate pointer to name and namelen
 		de->de_entry_num = i;
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ static int reiserfs_add_entry(struct reiserfs_transaction_handle *th,
 	struct reiserfs_de_head *deh;
 	INITIALIZE_PATH(path);
 	struct reiserfs_dir_entry de;
-	int bit_string[MAX_GENERATION_NUMBER / (sizeof(int) * 8) + 1];
+	DECLARE_BITMAP(bit_string, MAX_GENERATION_NUMBER + 1);
 	int gen_number;
 	char small_buf[32 + DEH_SIZE];	/* 48 bytes now and we avoid kmalloc
 					   if we create file with short name */
@@ -486,7 +486,7 @@ static int reiserfs_add_entry(struct reiserfs_transaction_handle *th,
 
 	/* find the proper place for the new entry */
 	memset(bit_string, 0, sizeof(bit_string));
-	de.de_gen_number_bit_string = (char *)bit_string;
+	de.de_gen_number_bit_string = bit_string;
 	retval = reiserfs_find_entry(dir, name, namelen, &path, &de);
 	if (retval != NAME_NOT_FOUND) {
 		if (buffer != small_buf)
@@ -508,7 +508,7 @@ static int reiserfs_add_entry(struct reiserfs_transaction_handle *th,
 	}
 
 	gen_number =
-	    find_first_zero_bit((unsigned long *)bit_string,
+	    find_first_zero_bit(bit_string,
 				MAX_GENERATION_NUMBER + 1);
 	if (gen_number > MAX_GENERATION_NUMBER) {
 		/* there is no free generation number */
diff --git a/include/linux/reiserfs_fs.h b/include/linux/reiserfs_fs.h
index 7d51149bd793..dad78cecfd20 100644
--- a/include/linux/reiserfs_fs.h
+++ b/include/linux/reiserfs_fs.h
@@ -1052,7 +1052,7 @@ struct reiserfs_dir_entry {
 	int de_entrylen;
 	int de_namelen;
 	char *de_name;
-	char *de_gen_number_bit_string;
+	unsigned long *de_gen_number_bit_string;
 
 	__u32 de_dir_id;
 	__u32 de_objectid;