diff --git a/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/conf.c b/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/conf.c
index 90886e81d..70058c524 100644
--- a/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/conf.c
+++ b/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/conf.c
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@
 
 #define SPDK_NVMF_MAX_NAMESPACES (1 << 14)
 
-struct spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf *g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf = NULL;
 uint32_t g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_max_subsystems = 0;
 
 static int
@@ -140,32 +139,21 @@ nvmf_parse_tgt_max_subsystems(void)
 	return deprecated_values;
 }
 
-static struct spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf *
+static int
 nvmf_parse_tgt_conf(void)
 {
-	struct spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf *conf;
 	struct spdk_conf_section *sp;
 	int rc;
 
-	conf = calloc(1, sizeof(*conf));
-	if (!conf) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("calloc() failed for target conf\n");
-		return NULL;
-	}
-
-	conf->acceptor_poll_rate = ACCEPT_TIMEOUT_US;
-	conf->admin_passthru.identify_ctrlr = false;
-
 	sp = spdk_conf_find_section(NULL, "Nvmf");
 	if (sp != NULL) {
-		rc = nvmf_read_config_file_tgt_conf(sp, conf);
+		rc = nvmf_read_config_file_tgt_conf(sp, &g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf);
 		if (rc) {
-			free(conf);
-			return NULL;
+			return -1;
 		}
 	}
 
-	return conf;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static int
@@ -190,16 +178,13 @@ nvmf_parse_nvmf_tgt(void)
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (!g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf) {
-		g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf = nvmf_parse_tgt_conf();
-		if (!g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf) {
-			SPDK_ERRLOG("nvmf_parse_tgt_conf() failed\n");
-			return -1;
-		}
+	if (nvmf_parse_tgt_conf() != 0) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("nvmf_parse_tgt_conf() failed\n");
+		return -1;
 	}
 
 	opts.max_subsystems = g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_max_subsystems;
-	opts.acceptor_poll_rate = g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf->acceptor_poll_rate;
+	opts.acceptor_poll_rate = g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf.acceptor_poll_rate;
 	g_spdk_nvmf_tgt = spdk_nvmf_tgt_create(&opts);
 
 	g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_max_subsystems = 0;
diff --git a/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/event_nvmf.h b/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/event_nvmf.h
index 407709fa5..0e87d2c84 100644
--- a/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/event_nvmf.h
+++ b/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/event_nvmf.h
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ struct spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf {
 	struct spdk_nvmf_admin_passthru_conf admin_passthru;
 };
 
-extern struct spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf *g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf;
+extern struct spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf;
 
 extern uint32_t g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_max_subsystems;
 
diff --git a/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/nvmf_rpc.c b/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/nvmf_rpc.c
index b16ec6686..e1857a260 100644
--- a/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/nvmf_rpc.c
+++ b/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/nvmf_rpc.c
@@ -111,31 +111,14 @@ static void
 rpc_nvmf_set_config(struct spdk_jsonrpc_request *request,
 		    const struct spdk_json_val *params)
 {
-	struct spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf *conf;
+	struct spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf conf;
 	struct spdk_json_write_ctx *w;
 
-	if (g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf != NULL) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("this RPC must not be called more than once.\n");
-		spdk_jsonrpc_send_error_response(request, SPDK_JSONRPC_ERROR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
-						 "Must not call more than once");
-		return;
-	}
-
-	conf = calloc(1, sizeof(*conf));
-	if (conf == NULL) {
-		SPDK_ERRLOG("calloc() failed for target config\n");
-		spdk_jsonrpc_send_error_response(request, SPDK_JSONRPC_ERROR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
-						 "Out of memory");
-		return;
-	}
-
-	conf->acceptor_poll_rate = ACCEPT_TIMEOUT_US;
-	conf->admin_passthru.identify_ctrlr = false;
+	memcpy(&conf, &g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf, sizeof(conf));
 
 	if (params != NULL) {
 		if (spdk_json_decode_object(params, nvmf_rpc_subsystem_tgt_conf_decoder,
-					    SPDK_COUNTOF(nvmf_rpc_subsystem_tgt_conf_decoder), conf)) {
-			free(conf);
+					    SPDK_COUNTOF(nvmf_rpc_subsystem_tgt_conf_decoder), &conf)) {
 			SPDK_ERRLOG("spdk_json_decode_object() failed\n");
 			spdk_jsonrpc_send_error_response(request, SPDK_JSONRPC_ERROR_INVALID_PARAMS,
 							 "Invalid parameters");
@@ -143,7 +126,7 @@ rpc_nvmf_set_config(struct spdk_jsonrpc_request *request,
 		}
 	}
 
-	g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf = conf;
+	memcpy(&g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf, &conf, sizeof(conf));
 
 	w = spdk_jsonrpc_begin_result(request);
 	spdk_json_write_bool(w, true);
diff --git a/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/nvmf_tgt.c b/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/nvmf_tgt.c
index 0f516a545..70be97560 100644
--- a/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/nvmf_tgt.c
+++ b/module/event/subsystems/nvmf/nvmf_tgt.c
@@ -60,6 +60,11 @@ struct nvmf_tgt_poll_group {
 	TAILQ_ENTRY(nvmf_tgt_poll_group)	link;
 };
 
+struct spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf = {
+	.acceptor_poll_rate = ACCEPT_TIMEOUT_US,
+	.admin_passthru.identify_ctrlr = false
+};
+
 struct spdk_nvmf_tgt *g_spdk_nvmf_tgt = NULL;
 
 static enum nvmf_tgt_state g_tgt_state;
@@ -246,8 +251,6 @@ nvmf_tgt_destroy_done(void *ctx, int status)
 {
 	g_tgt_state = NVMF_TGT_STOPPED;
 
-	free(g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf);
-	g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf = NULL;
 	nvmf_tgt_advance_state();
 }
 
@@ -366,7 +369,7 @@ nvmf_tgt_advance_state(void)
 			break;
 		case NVMF_TGT_INIT_CREATE_POLL_GROUPS:
 			/* Config parsed */
-			if (g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf->admin_passthru.identify_ctrlr) {
+			if (g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf.admin_passthru.identify_ctrlr) {
 				SPDK_NOTICELOG("Custom identify ctrlr handler enabled\n");
 				spdk_nvmf_set_custom_admin_cmd_hdlr(SPDK_NVME_OPC_IDENTIFY, nvmf_custom_identify_hdlr);
 			}
@@ -443,10 +446,10 @@ nvmf_subsystem_write_config_json(struct spdk_json_write_ctx *w)
 	spdk_json_write_named_string(w, "method", "nvmf_set_config");
 
 	spdk_json_write_named_object_begin(w, "params");
-	spdk_json_write_named_uint32(w, "acceptor_poll_rate", g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf->acceptor_poll_rate);
+	spdk_json_write_named_uint32(w, "acceptor_poll_rate", g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf.acceptor_poll_rate);
 	spdk_json_write_named_object_begin(w, "admin_cmd_passthru");
 	spdk_json_write_named_bool(w, "identify_ctrlr",
-				   g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf->admin_passthru.identify_ctrlr);
+				   g_spdk_nvmf_tgt_conf.admin_passthru.identify_ctrlr);
 	spdk_json_write_object_end(w);
 	spdk_json_write_object_end(w);
 	spdk_json_write_object_end(w);