diff --git a/drivers/scsi/hosts.c b/drivers/scsi/hosts.c
index c3ab093dd8a7..f28ea070d3df 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/hosts.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/hosts.c
@@ -319,11 +319,11 @@ static void scsi_host_dev_release(struct device *dev)
 	kfree(shost);
 }
 
-static unsigned int shost_eh_deadline;
+static int shost_eh_deadline = -1;
 
-module_param_named(eh_deadline, shost_eh_deadline, uint, S_IRUGO|S_IWUSR);
+module_param_named(eh_deadline, shost_eh_deadline, int, S_IRUGO|S_IWUSR);
 MODULE_PARM_DESC(eh_deadline,
-		 "SCSI EH timeout in seconds (should be between 1 and 2^32-1)");
+		 "SCSI EH timeout in seconds (should be between 0 and 2^31-1)");
 
 static struct device_type scsi_host_type = {
 	.name =		"scsi_host",
@@ -396,9 +396,18 @@ struct Scsi_Host *scsi_host_alloc(struct scsi_host_template *sht, int privsize)
 	shost->unchecked_isa_dma = sht->unchecked_isa_dma;
 	shost->use_clustering = sht->use_clustering;
 	shost->ordered_tag = sht->ordered_tag;
-	shost->eh_deadline = shost_eh_deadline * HZ;
 	shost->no_write_same = sht->no_write_same;
 
+	if (shost_eh_deadline == -1)
+		shost->eh_deadline = -1;
+	else if ((ulong) shost_eh_deadline * HZ > INT_MAX) {
+		shost_printk(KERN_WARNING, shost,
+			     "eh_deadline %u too large, setting to %u\n",
+			     shost_eh_deadline, INT_MAX / HZ);
+		shost->eh_deadline = INT_MAX;
+	} else
+		shost->eh_deadline = shost_eh_deadline * HZ;
+
 	if (sht->supported_mode == MODE_UNKNOWN)
 		/* means we didn't set it ... default to INITIATOR */
 		shost->active_mode = MODE_INITIATOR;
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/scsi_error.c b/drivers/scsi/scsi_error.c
index 4e4824beefe4..78b004da2885 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/scsi_error.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/scsi_error.c
@@ -91,18 +91,18 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(scsi_schedule_eh);
 
 static int scsi_host_eh_past_deadline(struct Scsi_Host *shost)
 {
-	if (!shost->last_reset || !shost->eh_deadline)
+	if (!shost->last_reset || shost->eh_deadline == -1)
 		return 0;
 
 	/*
 	 * 32bit accesses are guaranteed to be atomic
 	 * (on all supported architectures), so instead
 	 * of using a spinlock we can as well double check
-	 * if eh_deadline has been unset during the
+	 * if eh_deadline has been set to 'off' during the
 	 * time_before call.
 	 */
 	if (time_before(jiffies, shost->last_reset + shost->eh_deadline) &&
-	    shost->eh_deadline != 0)
+	    shost->eh_deadline > -1)
 		return 0;
 
 	return 1;
@@ -132,26 +132,34 @@ scmd_eh_abort_handler(struct work_struct *work)
 		rtn = scsi_try_to_abort_cmd(sdev->host->hostt, scmd);
 		if (rtn == SUCCESS) {
 			scmd->result |= DID_TIME_OUT << 16;
-			if (!scsi_noretry_cmd(scmd) &&
+			if (scsi_host_eh_past_deadline(sdev->host)) {
+				SCSI_LOG_ERROR_RECOVERY(3,
+					scmd_printk(KERN_INFO, scmd,
+						    "scmd %p eh timeout, "
+						    "not retrying aborted "
+						    "command\n", scmd));
+			} else if (!scsi_noretry_cmd(scmd) &&
 			    (++scmd->retries <= scmd->allowed)) {
 				SCSI_LOG_ERROR_RECOVERY(3,
 					scmd_printk(KERN_WARNING, scmd,
 						    "scmd %p retry "
 						    "aborted command\n", scmd));
 				scsi_queue_insert(scmd, SCSI_MLQUEUE_EH_RETRY);
+				return;
 			} else {
 				SCSI_LOG_ERROR_RECOVERY(3,
 					scmd_printk(KERN_WARNING, scmd,
 						    "scmd %p finish "
 						    "aborted command\n", scmd));
 				scsi_finish_command(scmd);
+				return;
 			}
-			return;
+		} else {
+			SCSI_LOG_ERROR_RECOVERY(3,
+				scmd_printk(KERN_INFO, scmd,
+					    "scmd %p abort failed, rtn %d\n",
+					    scmd, rtn));
 		}
-		SCSI_LOG_ERROR_RECOVERY(3,
-			scmd_printk(KERN_INFO, scmd,
-				    "scmd %p abort failed, rtn %d\n",
-				    scmd, rtn));
 	}
 
 	if (!scsi_eh_scmd_add(scmd, 0)) {
@@ -202,7 +210,7 @@ scsi_abort_command(struct scsi_cmnd *scmd)
 		return FAILED;
 	}
 
-	if (shost->eh_deadline && !shost->last_reset)
+	if (shost->eh_deadline != -1 && !shost->last_reset)
 		shost->last_reset = jiffies;
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(shost->host_lock, flags);
 
@@ -236,7 +244,7 @@ int scsi_eh_scmd_add(struct scsi_cmnd *scmd, int eh_flag)
 		if (scsi_host_set_state(shost, SHOST_CANCEL_RECOVERY))
 			goto out_unlock;
 
-	if (shost->eh_deadline && !shost->last_reset)
+	if (shost->eh_deadline != -1 && !shost->last_reset)
 		shost->last_reset = jiffies;
 
 	ret = 1;
@@ -270,7 +278,7 @@ enum blk_eh_timer_return scsi_times_out(struct request *req)
 	trace_scsi_dispatch_cmd_timeout(scmd);
 	scsi_log_completion(scmd, TIMEOUT_ERROR);
 
-	if (host->eh_deadline && !host->last_reset)
+	if (host->eh_deadline != -1 && !host->last_reset)
 		host->last_reset = jiffies;
 
 	if (host->transportt->eh_timed_out)
@@ -2106,7 +2114,7 @@ static void scsi_unjam_host(struct Scsi_Host *shost)
 			scsi_eh_ready_devs(shost, &eh_work_q, &eh_done_q);
 
 	spin_lock_irqsave(shost->host_lock, flags);
-	if (shost->eh_deadline)
+	if (shost->eh_deadline != -1)
 		shost->last_reset = 0;
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(shost->host_lock, flags);
 	scsi_eh_flush_done_q(&eh_done_q);
diff --git a/drivers/scsi/scsi_sysfs.c b/drivers/scsi/scsi_sysfs.c
index 8ff62c26a41c..9117d0bf408e 100644
--- a/drivers/scsi/scsi_sysfs.c
+++ b/drivers/scsi/scsi_sysfs.c
@@ -287,7 +287,9 @@ show_shost_eh_deadline(struct device *dev,
 {
 	struct Scsi_Host *shost = class_to_shost(dev);
 
-	return sprintf(buf, "%d\n", shost->eh_deadline / HZ);
+	if (shost->eh_deadline == -1)
+		return snprintf(buf, strlen("off") + 2, "off\n");
+	return sprintf(buf, "%u\n", shost->eh_deadline / HZ);
 }
 
 static ssize_t
@@ -296,22 +298,34 @@ store_shost_eh_deadline(struct device *dev, struct device_attribute *attr,
 {
 	struct Scsi_Host *shost = class_to_shost(dev);
 	int ret = -EINVAL;
-	int deadline;
-	unsigned long flags;
+	unsigned long deadline, flags;
 
 	if (shost->transportt && shost->transportt->eh_strategy_handler)
 		return ret;
 
-	if (sscanf(buf, "%d\n", &deadline) == 1) {
-		spin_lock_irqsave(shost->host_lock, flags);
-		if (scsi_host_in_recovery(shost))
-			ret = -EBUSY;
-		else {
-			shost->eh_deadline = deadline * HZ;
-			ret = count;
-		}
-		spin_unlock_irqrestore(shost->host_lock, flags);
+	if (!strncmp(buf, "off", strlen("off")))
+		deadline = -1;
+	else {
+		ret = kstrtoul(buf, 10, &deadline);
+		if (ret)
+			return ret;
+		if (deadline * HZ > UINT_MAX)
+			return -EINVAL;
 	}
+
+	spin_lock_irqsave(shost->host_lock, flags);
+	if (scsi_host_in_recovery(shost))
+		ret = -EBUSY;
+	else {
+		if (deadline == -1)
+			shost->eh_deadline = -1;
+		else
+			shost->eh_deadline = deadline * HZ;
+
+		ret = count;
+	}
+	spin_unlock_irqrestore(shost->host_lock, flags);
+
 	return ret;
 }