diff --git a/drivers/net/xen-netback/xenbus.c b/drivers/net/xen-netback/xenbus.c
index 8674e18..55a4488 100644
--- a/drivers/net/xen-netback/xenbus.c
+++ b/drivers/net/xen-netback/xenbus.c
@@ -889,16 +889,16 @@
 	unsigned int evtchn;
 	int err;
 
-	err = xenbus_gather(XBT_NIL, dev->otherend,
-			    "ctrl-ring-ref", "%u", &val, NULL);
-	if (err)
+	err = xenbus_scanf(XBT_NIL, dev->otherend,
+			   "ctrl-ring-ref", "%u", &val);
+	if (err < 0)
 		goto done; /* The frontend does not have a control ring */
 
 	ring_ref = val;
 
-	err = xenbus_gather(XBT_NIL, dev->otherend,
-			    "event-channel-ctrl", "%u", &val, NULL);
-	if (err) {
+	err = xenbus_scanf(XBT_NIL, dev->otherend,
+			   "event-channel-ctrl", "%u", &val);
+	if (err < 0) {
 		xenbus_dev_fatal(dev, err,
 				 "reading %s/event-channel-ctrl",
 				 dev->otherend);