diff --git a/lib/nvmf/conn.c b/lib/nvmf/conn.c
index 8a6ca4c94..5f6bd205e 100644
--- a/lib/nvmf/conn.c
+++ b/lib/nvmf/conn.c
@@ -729,7 +729,7 @@ nvmf_process_admin_command(struct spdk_nvmf_conn *conn,
 		      tx_desc, req, (void *)req->rsp, (void *)tx_desc->send_sgl.addr);
 
 	/* send to NVMf library for backend NVMe processing */
-	ret = nvmf_process_admin_cmd(req->session, cmd, req->data, req->length, req);
+	ret = nvmf_process_admin_cmd(req);
 	if (ret) {
 		/* library failed the request and should have
 		   Updated the response */
diff --git a/lib/nvmf/nvmf_admin_cmd.c b/lib/nvmf/nvmf_admin_cmd.c
index 054000d46..e25a815e6 100644
--- a/lib/nvmf/nvmf_admin_cmd.c
+++ b/lib/nvmf/nvmf_admin_cmd.c
@@ -42,23 +42,21 @@
 #include "spdk/trace.h"
 
 int
-nvmf_process_admin_cmd(struct nvmf_session *session,
-		       struct spdk_nvme_cmd *cmd,
-		       void *buf, uint32_t len,
-		       struct nvmf_request *req_state)
+nvmf_process_admin_cmd(struct nvmf_request *req)
 {
-	struct spdk_nvme_cpl *response;
+	struct nvmf_session *session = req->session;
+	struct spdk_nvme_cmd *cmd = &req->cmd->nvme_cmd;
+	struct spdk_nvme_cpl *response = &req->rsp->nvme_cpl;
 	struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem = session->subsys;
 	struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr = NULL;
 	uint32_t nsid = 0;
 	int rc = 0;
 	uint8_t feature;
 
-	SPDK_TRACELOG(SPDK_TRACE_NVMF, "nvmf_process_admin_cmd: req_state %p\n",
-		      req_state);
+	SPDK_TRACELOG(SPDK_TRACE_NVMF, "nvmf_process_admin_cmd: req %p\n",
+		      req);
 
 	/* pre-set response details for this command */
-	response = &req_state->rsp->nvme_cpl;
 	response->status.sc = SPDK_NVME_SC_SUCCESS;
 	response->cid = cmd->cid;
 
@@ -94,7 +92,7 @@ nvmf_process_admin_cmd(struct nvmf_session *session,
 
 	switch (cmd->opc) {
 	case SPDK_NVME_OPC_IDENTIFY:
-		if (buf == NULL) {
+		if (req->data == NULL) {
 			SPDK_ERRLOG("identify command with no buffer\n");
 			response->status.sc = SPDK_NVME_SC_INVALID_FIELD;
 			rc = -1;
@@ -120,14 +118,14 @@ nvmf_process_admin_cmd(struct nvmf_session *session,
 				break;
 			}
 			nsdata = spdk_nvme_ns_get_data(ns);
-			memcpy((char *)buf, (char *)nsdata, sizeof(struct spdk_nvme_ns_data));
-			req_state->cb_fn(req_state);
+			memcpy(req->data, (char *)nsdata, sizeof(struct spdk_nvme_ns_data));
+			req->cb_fn(req);
 		} else if (cmd->cdw10 == 1) {
 			/* identify controller */
 			SPDK_TRACELOG(SPDK_TRACE_NVMF, "Identify Controller\n");
 			/* pull from virtual controller context */
-			memcpy(buf, (char *)&session->vcdata, sizeof(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr_data));
-			req_state->cb_fn(req_state);
+			memcpy(req->data, (char *)&session->vcdata, sizeof(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr_data));
+			req->cb_fn(req);
 		} else {
 			SPDK_TRACELOG(SPDK_TRACE_NVMF, "Identify Namespace List\n");
 			response->status.sc = SPDK_NVME_SC_INVALID_OPCODE;
@@ -279,7 +277,7 @@ nvmf_process_admin_cmd(struct nvmf_session *session,
 		  until NVMe library indicates some event.
 		*/
 		if (session->aer_req_state == NULL) {
-			session->aer_req_state = req_state;
+			session->aer_req_state = req;
 		} else {
 			/* AER already recorded, send error response */
 			SPDK_TRACELOG(SPDK_TRACE_NVMF, "AER already active!\n");
@@ -307,9 +305,9 @@ passthrough:
 		cmd->nsid = nsid;
 		rc = spdk_nvme_ctrlr_cmd_admin_raw(ctrlr,
 						   cmd,
-						   buf, len,
+						   req->data, req->length,
 						   nvmf_complete_cmd,
-						   (void *)req_state);
+						   req);
 		if (rc) {
 			SPDK_ERRLOG("nvmf_process_admin_cmd: Error to submit Admin Opcode %x\n", cmd->opc);
 			response->status.sc = SPDK_NVME_SC_INTERNAL_DEVICE_ERROR;
diff --git a/lib/nvmf/session.h b/lib/nvmf/session.h
index 4ecfd249a..7c7318cf6 100644
--- a/lib/nvmf/session.h
+++ b/lib/nvmf/session.h
@@ -120,10 +120,7 @@ void
 nvmf_init_session_properties(struct nvmf_session *session, int aq_depth);
 
 int
-nvmf_process_admin_cmd(struct nvmf_session *session,
-		       struct spdk_nvme_cmd *cmd,
-		       void *buf, uint32_t len,
-		       struct nvmf_request *req_state);
+nvmf_process_admin_cmd(struct nvmf_request *req);
 
 int
 nvmf_process_io_cmd(struct nvmf_request *req);
diff --git a/test/lib/nvmf/nvmf_c/nvmf_ut.c b/test/lib/nvmf/nvmf_c/nvmf_ut.c
index aa86840f0..0b0bdcf4b 100644
--- a/test/lib/nvmf/nvmf_c/nvmf_ut.c
+++ b/test/lib/nvmf/nvmf_c/nvmf_ut.c
@@ -583,9 +583,10 @@ nvmf_test_process_admin_cmd(void)
 	struct nvmf_request nvmf_req = {};
 	struct spdk_nvmf_subsystem *subsystem;
 	int buf_len = sizeof(struct spdk_nvme_ns_data);
-	uint8_t *buf;
 
 	sess = nvmf_find_session_by_id("subsystem1", SS_SC_CNTLID);
+	nvmf_req.session = sess;
+	nvmf_req.cmd = (union nvmf_h2c_msg *)&nvmf_cmd;
 	nvmf_req.rsp = malloc(sizeof(union nvmf_c2h_msg));
 	nvmf_req.cb_fn = admin_nvmf_cmd_complete;
 #define BUILD_CMD(cmd_opc, cmd_nsid, cmd_cid, cmd_cdw10) \
@@ -598,13 +599,13 @@ nvmf_test_process_admin_cmd(void)
 
 #define RUN_AND_CHECK_PROPERT_GET_RESULT(expect_ret, cmd_cid, sts) \
 	do { \
-		CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(nvmf_process_admin_cmd(sess, &nvmf_cmd, buf, buf_len, &nvmf_req), expect_ret); \
+		CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(nvmf_process_admin_cmd(&nvmf_req), expect_ret); \
 		CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(nvmf_req.rsp->nvme_cpl.cid, cmd_cid); \
 		CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(nvmf_req.rsp->nvme_cpl.status.sc, sts); \
 	} while (0)
 
 	/* check subsys=NULL condition */
-	buf = malloc(buf_len);
+	nvmf_req.data = malloc(buf_len);
 	subsystem = sess->subsys;
 	sess->subsys = NULL;
 	BUILD_CMD(SPDK_NVME_OPC_IDENTIFY, 2, 100, 0);
@@ -622,16 +623,16 @@ nvmf_test_process_admin_cmd(void)
 	/* identify namespace */
 	BUILD_CMD(SPDK_NVME_OPC_IDENTIFY, 2, 8, 0);
 	RUN_AND_CHECK_PROPERT_GET_RESULT(0, 8, SPDK_NVME_SC_SUCCESS);
-	free(buf);
+	free(nvmf_req.data);
 	/* identify controller */
 	buf_len = sizeof(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr_data);
-	buf = malloc(buf_len);
+	nvmf_req.data = malloc(buf_len);
 	BUILD_CMD(SPDK_NVME_OPC_IDENTIFY, 2, 9, 1);
 	RUN_AND_CHECK_PROPERT_GET_RESULT(0, 9, SPDK_NVME_SC_SUCCESS);
-	free(buf);
+	free(nvmf_req.data);
 	/* identify controller with invalid cdw10=2 */
 	buf_len = sizeof(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr_data);
-	buf = malloc(buf_len);
+	nvmf_req.data = malloc(buf_len);
 	BUILD_CMD(SPDK_NVME_OPC_IDENTIFY, 2, 9, 2);
 	RUN_AND_CHECK_PROPERT_GET_RESULT(-1, 9, SPDK_NVME_SC_INVALID_OPCODE);
 	/* create IO SQ whose qid > MAX_SESSION_IO_QUEUES */
@@ -699,8 +700,8 @@ nvmf_test_process_admin_cmd(void)
 	BUILD_CMD(SPDK_NVME_OPC_SET_FEATURES, 2, 19, SPDK_NVME_FEAT_NUMBER_OF_QUEUES);
 	RUN_AND_CHECK_PROPERT_GET_RESULT(1, 19, SPDK_NVME_SC_SUCCESS);
 	CU_ASSERT_EQUAL(nvmf_req.rsp->nvme_cpl.cdw0 & 0xffff, 63);
-	free(buf);
-	buf = NULL;
+	free(nvmf_req.data);
+	nvmf_req.data = NULL;
 }
 /* for property get and set only */
 #define BUILD_PROPERTY_CMD(property_name, cmd_attr, cmd_cid) \