struct openflags flags;
        char **back_ptr;
        int err, create_cow, *create_ptr;
+       int fd;
 
        ubd_dev->openflags = ubd_dev->boot_openflags;
        create_cow = 0;
        create_ptr = (ubd_dev->cow.file != NULL) ? &create_cow : NULL;
        back_ptr = ubd_dev->no_cow ? NULL : &ubd_dev->cow.file;
-       ubd_dev->fd = open_ubd_file(ubd_dev->file, &ubd_dev->openflags, ubd_dev->shared,
+
+       fd = open_ubd_file(ubd_dev->file, &ubd_dev->openflags, ubd_dev->shared,
                                back_ptr, &ubd_dev->cow.bitmap_offset,
                                &ubd_dev->cow.bitmap_len, &ubd_dev->cow.data_offset,
                                create_ptr);
 
-       if((ubd_dev->fd == -ENOENT) && create_cow){
-               ubd_dev->fd = create_cow_file(ubd_dev->file, ubd_dev->cow.file,
+       if((fd == -ENOENT) && create_cow){
+               fd = create_cow_file(ubd_dev->file, ubd_dev->cow.file,
                                          ubd_dev->openflags, 1 << 9, PAGE_SIZE,
                                          &ubd_dev->cow.bitmap_offset,
                                          &ubd_dev->cow.bitmap_len,
                                          &ubd_dev->cow.data_offset);
-               if(ubd_dev->fd >= 0){
+               if(fd >= 0){
                        printk(KERN_INFO "Creating \"%s\" as COW file for "
                               "\"%s\"\n", ubd_dev->file, ubd_dev->cow.file);
                }
        }
 
-       if(ubd_dev->fd < 0){
+       if(fd < 0){
                printk("Failed to open '%s', errno = %d\n", ubd_dev->file,
-                      -ubd_dev->fd);
-               return(ubd_dev->fd);
+                      -fd);
+               return fd;
        }
+       ubd_dev->fd = fd;
 
        if(ubd_dev->cow.file != NULL){
                err = -ENOMEM;