diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_fabric.c b/lib/nvme/nvme_fabric.c
index 067d85138..4589596ab 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_fabric.c
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_fabric.c
@@ -268,3 +268,73 @@ nvme_fabric_ctrlr_discover(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr,
 
 	return 0;
 }
+
+int
+nvme_fabric_qpair_connect(struct spdk_nvme_qpair *qpair, uint32_t num_entries)
+{
+	struct nvme_completion_poll_status status;
+	struct spdk_nvmf_fabric_connect_rsp *rsp;
+	struct spdk_nvmf_fabric_connect_cmd cmd;
+	struct spdk_nvmf_fabric_connect_data *nvmf_data;
+	struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr;
+	int rc;
+
+	if (num_entries == 0 || num_entries > SPDK_NVME_IO_QUEUE_MAX_ENTRIES) {
+		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+
+	ctrlr = qpair->ctrlr;
+	if (!ctrlr) {
+		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+
+	nvmf_data = spdk_dma_zmalloc(sizeof(*nvmf_data), 0, NULL);
+	if (!nvmf_data) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("nvmf_data allocation error\n");
+		return -ENOMEM;
+	}
+
+	memset(&cmd, 0, sizeof(cmd));
+	cmd.opcode = SPDK_NVME_OPC_FABRIC;
+	cmd.fctype = SPDK_NVMF_FABRIC_COMMAND_CONNECT;
+	cmd.qid = qpair->id;
+	cmd.sqsize = num_entries - 1;
+	cmd.kato = ctrlr->opts.keep_alive_timeout_ms;
+
+	if (nvme_qpair_is_admin_queue(qpair)) {
+		nvmf_data->cntlid = 0xFFFF;
+	} else {
+		nvmf_data->cntlid = ctrlr->cntlid;
+	}
+
+	SPDK_STATIC_ASSERT(sizeof(nvmf_data->hostid) == sizeof(ctrlr->opts.extended_host_id),
+			   "host ID size mismatch");
+	memcpy(nvmf_data->hostid, ctrlr->opts.extended_host_id, sizeof(nvmf_data->hostid));
+	snprintf(nvmf_data->hostnqn, sizeof(nvmf_data->hostnqn), "%s", ctrlr->opts.hostnqn);
+	snprintf(nvmf_data->subnqn, sizeof(nvmf_data->subnqn), "%s", ctrlr->trid.subnqn);
+
+	rc = spdk_nvme_ctrlr_cmd_io_raw(ctrlr, qpair,
+					(struct spdk_nvme_cmd *)&cmd,
+					nvmf_data, sizeof(*nvmf_data),
+					nvme_completion_poll_cb, &status);
+	if (rc < 0) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("Connect command failed\n");
+		spdk_dma_free(nvmf_data);
+		return rc;
+	}
+
+	if (spdk_nvme_wait_for_completion(qpair, &status)) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("Connect command failed\n");
+		spdk_dma_free(nvmf_data);
+		return -EIO;
+	}
+
+	if (nvme_qpair_is_admin_queue(qpair)) {
+		rsp = (struct spdk_nvmf_fabric_connect_rsp *)&status.cpl;
+		ctrlr->cntlid = rsp->status_code_specific.success.cntlid;
+		SPDK_DEBUGLOG(SPDK_LOG_NVME, "CNTLID 0x%04" PRIx16 "\n", ctrlr->cntlid);
+	}
+
+	spdk_dma_free(nvmf_data);
+	return 0;
+}
diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h b/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h
index ac1e09945..8907c3838 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h
@@ -688,6 +688,7 @@ int	nvme_fabric_ctrlr_get_reg_4(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, uint32_t offset,
 int	nvme_fabric_ctrlr_get_reg_8(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, uint32_t offset, uint64_t *value);
 int	nvme_fabric_ctrlr_discover(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, void *cb_ctx,
 				   spdk_nvme_probe_cb probe_cb);
+int	nvme_fabric_qpair_connect(struct spdk_nvme_qpair *qpair, uint32_t num_entries);
 
 static inline struct nvme_request *
 nvme_allocate_request(struct spdk_nvme_qpair *qpair,
diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_rdma.c b/lib/nvme/nvme_rdma.c
index 2293b847f..edd245bf8 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_rdma.c
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_rdma.c
@@ -595,73 +595,6 @@ nvme_rdma_parse_addr(struct sockaddr_storage *sa, int family, const char *addr,
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static int
-nvme_rdma_qpair_fabric_connect(struct nvme_rdma_qpair *rqpair)
-{
-	struct nvme_completion_poll_status status;
-	struct spdk_nvmf_fabric_connect_rsp *rsp;
-	struct spdk_nvmf_fabric_connect_cmd cmd;
-	struct spdk_nvmf_fabric_connect_data *nvmf_data;
-	struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr;
-	int rc = 0;
-
-	ctrlr = rqpair->qpair.ctrlr;
-	if (!ctrlr) {
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	nvmf_data = spdk_dma_zmalloc(sizeof(*nvmf_data), 0, NULL);
-	if (!nvmf_data) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("nvmf_data allocation error\n");
-		rc = -1;
-		return rc;
-	}
-
-	memset(&cmd, 0, sizeof(cmd));
-
-	cmd.opcode = SPDK_NVME_OPC_FABRIC;
-	cmd.fctype = SPDK_NVMF_FABRIC_COMMAND_CONNECT;
-	cmd.qid = rqpair->qpair.id;
-	cmd.sqsize = rqpair->num_entries - 1;
-	cmd.kato = ctrlr->opts.keep_alive_timeout_ms;
-
-	if (nvme_qpair_is_admin_queue(&rqpair->qpair)) {
-		nvmf_data->cntlid = 0xFFFF;
-	} else {
-		nvmf_data->cntlid = ctrlr->cntlid;
-	}
-
-	SPDK_STATIC_ASSERT(sizeof(nvmf_data->hostid) == sizeof(ctrlr->opts.extended_host_id),
-			   "host ID size mismatch");
-	memcpy(nvmf_data->hostid, ctrlr->opts.extended_host_id, sizeof(nvmf_data->hostid));
-	snprintf(nvmf_data->hostnqn, sizeof(nvmf_data->hostnqn), "%s", ctrlr->opts.hostnqn);
-	snprintf(nvmf_data->subnqn, sizeof(nvmf_data->subnqn), "%s", ctrlr->trid.subnqn);
-
-	rc = spdk_nvme_ctrlr_cmd_io_raw(ctrlr, &rqpair->qpair,
-					(struct spdk_nvme_cmd *)&cmd,
-					nvmf_data, sizeof(*nvmf_data),
-					nvme_completion_poll_cb, &status);
-	if (rc < 0) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("spdk_nvme_rdma_req_fabric_connect failed\n");
-		rc = -1;
-		goto ret;
-	}
-
-	if (spdk_nvme_wait_for_completion(&rqpair->qpair, &status)) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("Connect command failed\n");
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	if (nvme_qpair_is_admin_queue(&rqpair->qpair)) {
-		rsp = (struct spdk_nvmf_fabric_connect_rsp *)&status.cpl;
-		ctrlr->cntlid = rsp->status_code_specific.success.cntlid;
-		SPDK_DEBUGLOG(SPDK_LOG_NVME, "CNTLID 0x%04" PRIx16 "\n", ctrlr->cntlid);
-	}
-ret:
-	spdk_dma_free(nvmf_data);
-	return rc;
-}
-
 static int
 nvme_rdma_mr_map_notify(void *cb_ctx, struct spdk_mem_map *map,
 			enum spdk_mem_map_notify_action action,
@@ -868,7 +801,7 @@ nvme_rdma_qpair_connect(struct nvme_rdma_qpair *rqpair)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	rc = nvme_rdma_qpair_fabric_connect(rqpair);
+	rc = nvme_fabric_qpair_connect(&rqpair->qpair, rqpair->num_entries);
 	if (rc < 0) {
 		SPDK_ERRLOG("Failed to send an NVMe-oF Fabric CONNECT command\n");
 		return -1;