diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c b/lib/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c
index 4d8adfa8a..c90b01216 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_ctrlr.c
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ nvme_ctrlr_get_cap(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, union spdk_nvme_cap_register *
 					      &cap->raw);
 }
 
-static int
+int
 nvme_ctrlr_get_vs(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, union spdk_nvme_vs_register *vs)
 {
 	return nvme_transport_ctrlr_get_reg_4(ctrlr, offsetof(struct spdk_nvme_registers, vs.raw),
@@ -819,8 +819,7 @@ nvme_ctrlr_identify_active_ns(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 	status.done = false;
-	if (SPDK_NVME_VERSION(ctrlr->cdata.ver.bits.mjr, ctrlr->cdata.ver.bits.mnr,
-			      ctrlr->cdata.ver.bits.ter) >= SPDK_NVME_VERSION(1, 1, 0)) {
+	if (ctrlr->vs.raw >= SPDK_NVME_VERSION(1, 1, 0)) {
 		/*
 		 * Iterate through the pages and fetch each chunk of 1024 namespaces until
 		 * there are no more active namespaces
@@ -1197,13 +1196,10 @@ nvme_ctrlr_construct_and_submit_aer(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr,
 static int
 _nvme_ctrlr_configure_aer(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr)
 {
-	const struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr_data		*cdata;
 	union spdk_nvme_feat_async_event_configuration	config;
 	struct nvme_completion_poll_status		status;
 	int						rc;
 
-	cdata = spdk_nvme_ctrlr_get_data(ctrlr);
-
 	config.raw = 0;
 	config.bits.crit_warn.bits.available_spare = 1;
 	config.bits.crit_warn.bits.temperature = 1;
@@ -1211,7 +1207,7 @@ _nvme_ctrlr_configure_aer(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr)
 	config.bits.crit_warn.bits.read_only = 1;
 	config.bits.crit_warn.bits.volatile_memory_backup = 1;
 
-	if (cdata->ver.raw >= SPDK_NVME_VERSION(1, 2, 0)) {
+	if (ctrlr->vs.raw >= SPDK_NVME_VERSION(1, 2, 0)) {
 		if (ctrlr->cdata.oaes.ns_attribute_notices) {
 			config.bits.ns_attr_notice = 1;
 		}
@@ -1219,7 +1215,7 @@ _nvme_ctrlr_configure_aer(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr)
 			config.bits.fw_activation_notice = 1;
 		}
 	}
-	if (cdata->ver.raw >= SPDK_NVME_VERSION(1, 3, 0) && cdata->lpa.telemetry) {
+	if (ctrlr->vs.raw >= SPDK_NVME_VERSION(1, 3, 0) && ctrlr->cdata.lpa.telemetry) {
 		config.bits.telemetry_log_notice = 1;
 	}
 
@@ -1759,9 +1755,11 @@ nvme_ctrlr_construct(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr)
 
 /* This function should be called once at ctrlr initialization to set up constant properties. */
 void
-nvme_ctrlr_init_cap(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, const union spdk_nvme_cap_register *cap)
+nvme_ctrlr_init_cap(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, const union spdk_nvme_cap_register *cap,
+		    const union spdk_nvme_vs_register *vs)
 {
 	ctrlr->cap = *cap;
+	ctrlr->vs = *vs;
 
 	ctrlr->min_page_size = 1u << (12 + ctrlr->cap.bits.mpsmin);
 
@@ -1885,12 +1883,7 @@ union spdk_nvme_cap_register spdk_nvme_ctrlr_get_regs_cap(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr
 
 union spdk_nvme_vs_register spdk_nvme_ctrlr_get_regs_vs(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr)
 {
-	union spdk_nvme_vs_register vs;
-
-	if (nvme_ctrlr_get_vs(ctrlr, &vs)) {
-		vs.raw = 0xFFFFFFFFu;
-	}
-	return vs;
+	return ctrlr->vs;
 }
 
 uint32_t
diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h b/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h
index 56c0f0d5d..86c8b5caa 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_internal.h
@@ -405,6 +405,7 @@ struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr {
 	/* Cold data (not accessed in normal I/O path) is after this point. */
 
 	union spdk_nvme_cap_register	cap;
+	union spdk_nvme_vs_register	vs;
 
 	enum nvme_ctrlr_state		state;
 	uint64_t			state_timeout_tsc;
@@ -588,7 +589,9 @@ void	nvme_ctrlr_connected(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr);
 int	nvme_ctrlr_submit_admin_request(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr,
 					struct nvme_request *req);
 int	nvme_ctrlr_get_cap(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, union spdk_nvme_cap_register *cap);
-void	nvme_ctrlr_init_cap(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, const union spdk_nvme_cap_register *cap);
+int	nvme_ctrlr_get_vs(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, union spdk_nvme_vs_register *vs);
+void	nvme_ctrlr_init_cap(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, const union spdk_nvme_cap_register *cap,
+			    const union spdk_nvme_vs_register *vs);
 int	nvme_qpair_init(struct spdk_nvme_qpair *qpair, uint16_t id,
 			struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr,
 			enum spdk_nvme_qprio qprio,
diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_ns.c b/lib/nvme/nvme_ns.c
index 05e3f4da8..e85ff857a 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_ns.c
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_ns.c
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ int nvme_ns_identify_update(struct spdk_nvme_ns *ns)
 	}
 
 	memset(ns->id_desc_list, 0, sizeof(ns->id_desc_list));
-	if (ns->ctrlr->cdata.ver.raw >= SPDK_NVME_VERSION(1, 3, 0)) {
+	if (ns->ctrlr->vs.raw >= SPDK_NVME_VERSION(1, 3, 0)) {
 		SPDK_DEBUGLOG(SPDK_LOG_NVME, "Attempting to retrieve NS ID Descriptor List\n");
 		status.done = false;
 		rc = nvme_ctrlr_cmd_identify(ns->ctrlr, SPDK_NVME_IDENTIFY_NS_ID_DESCRIPTOR_LIST, 0, ns->id,
diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c b/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c
index 860bbe163..c41dea453 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c
@@ -774,6 +774,7 @@ struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *nvme_pcie_ctrlr_construct(const struct spdk_nvme_transpo
 	struct spdk_pci_device *pci_dev = devhandle;
 	struct nvme_pcie_ctrlr *pctrlr;
 	union spdk_nvme_cap_register cap;
+	union spdk_nvme_vs_register vs;
 	uint32_t cmd_reg;
 	int rc, claim_fd;
 	struct spdk_pci_id pci_id;
@@ -824,7 +825,14 @@ struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *nvme_pcie_ctrlr_construct(const struct spdk_nvme_transpo
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	nvme_ctrlr_init_cap(&pctrlr->ctrlr, &cap);
+	if (nvme_ctrlr_get_vs(&pctrlr->ctrlr, &vs)) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("get_vs() failed\n");
+		close(claim_fd);
+		spdk_dma_free(pctrlr);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	nvme_ctrlr_init_cap(&pctrlr->ctrlr, &cap, &vs);
 
 	/* Doorbell stride is 2 ^ (dstrd + 2),
 	 * but we want multiples of 4, so drop the + 2 */
diff --git a/lib/nvme/nvme_rdma.c b/lib/nvme/nvme_rdma.c
index 9678305de..3ec29b67e 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/nvme_rdma.c
+++ b/lib/nvme/nvme_rdma.c
@@ -1369,6 +1369,7 @@ struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *nvme_rdma_ctrlr_construct(const struct spdk_nvme_transpo
 {
 	struct nvme_rdma_ctrlr *rctrlr;
 	union spdk_nvme_cap_register cap;
+	union spdk_nvme_vs_register vs;
 	int rc;
 
 	rctrlr = calloc(1, sizeof(struct nvme_rdma_ctrlr));
@@ -1400,7 +1401,13 @@ struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *nvme_rdma_ctrlr_construct(const struct spdk_nvme_transpo
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	nvme_ctrlr_init_cap(&rctrlr->ctrlr, &cap);
+	if (nvme_ctrlr_get_vs(&rctrlr->ctrlr, &vs)) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("get_vs() failed\n");
+		nvme_ctrlr_destruct(&rctrlr->ctrlr);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	nvme_ctrlr_init_cap(&rctrlr->ctrlr, &cap, &vs);
 
 	SPDK_DEBUGLOG(SPDK_LOG_NVME, "succesully initialized the nvmf ctrlr\n");
 	return &rctrlr->ctrlr;
diff --git a/test/unit/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c/nvme_pcie_ut.c b/test/unit/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c/nvme_pcie_ut.c
index d905506f3..36abba061 100644
--- a/test/unit/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c/nvme_pcie_ut.c
+++ b/test/unit/lib/nvme/nvme_pcie.c/nvme_pcie_ut.c
@@ -204,8 +204,15 @@ nvme_ctrlr_get_cap(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, union spdk_nvme_cap_register *
 	abort();
 }
 
+int
+nvme_ctrlr_get_vs(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, union spdk_nvme_vs_register *vs)
+{
+	abort();
+}
+
 void
-nvme_ctrlr_init_cap(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, const union spdk_nvme_cap_register *cap)
+nvme_ctrlr_init_cap(struct spdk_nvme_ctrlr *ctrlr, const union spdk_nvme_cap_register *cap,
+		    const union spdk_nvme_vs_register *vs)
 {
 	abort();
 }