diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igbvf/netdev.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igbvf/netdev.c
index 446297ff0104ada2785c5256097d6f9e1a968a29..92956e80fd1b09a3c3c1dcb1d8e459217c38c00a 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igbvf/netdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igbvf/netdev.c
@@ -2712,18 +2712,19 @@ static int __devinit igbvf_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 		dev_info(&pdev->dev,
 			 "PF still in reset state, assigning new address."
 			 " Is the PF interface up?\n");
-		dev_hw_addr_random(adapter->netdev, hw->mac.addr);
+		eth_hw_addr_random(netdev);
+		memcpy(adapter->hw.mac.addr, netdev->dev_addr,
+			netdev->addr_len);
 	} else {
 		err = hw->mac.ops.read_mac_addr(hw);
 		if (err) {
 			dev_err(&pdev->dev, "Error reading MAC address\n");
 			goto err_hw_init;
 		}
+		memcpy(netdev->dev_addr, adapter->hw.mac.addr,
+			netdev->addr_len);
 	}
 
-	memcpy(netdev->dev_addr, adapter->hw.mac.addr, netdev->addr_len);
-	memcpy(netdev->perm_addr, adapter->hw.mac.addr, netdev->addr_len);
-
 	if (!is_valid_ether_addr(netdev->perm_addr)) {
 		dev_err(&pdev->dev, "Invalid MAC Address: %pM\n",
 		        netdev->dev_addr);
@@ -2731,6 +2732,8 @@ static int __devinit igbvf_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 		goto err_hw_init;
 	}
 
+	memcpy(netdev->perm_addr, adapter->hw.mac.addr, netdev->addr_len);
+
 	setup_timer(&adapter->watchdog_timer, &igbvf_watchdog,
 	            (unsigned long) adapter);
 
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c
index 58c04b69ce70fce6e6e46bd8b7cf39dd30948d50..e10221dcebb126d1ae588f8fb7f6b3dfeb33e6f9 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c
@@ -2199,13 +2199,17 @@ static int __devinit ixgbevf_sw_init(struct ixgbevf_adapter *adapter)
 	if (err) {
 		dev_info(&pdev->dev,
 		         "PF still in reset state, assigning new address\n");
-		dev_hw_addr_random(adapter->netdev, hw->mac.addr);
+		eth_hw_addr_random(adapter->netdev);
+		memcpy(adapter->hw.mac.addr, adapter->netdev->dev_addr,
+			adapter->netdev->addr_len);
 	} else {
 		err = hw->mac.ops.init_hw(hw);
 		if (err) {
 			pr_err("init_shared_code failed: %d\n", err);
 			goto out;
 		}
+		memcpy(adapter->netdev->dev_addr, adapter->hw.mac.addr,
+			adapter->netdev->addr_len);
 	}
 
 	/* Enable dynamic interrupt throttling rates */
@@ -2224,6 +2228,7 @@ static int __devinit ixgbevf_sw_init(struct ixgbevf_adapter *adapter)
 	adapter->flags |= IXGBE_FLAG_RX_CSUM_ENABLED;
 
 	set_bit(__IXGBEVF_DOWN, &adapter->state);
+	return 0;
 
 out:
 	return err;
@@ -3394,6 +3399,17 @@ static int __devinit ixgbevf_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 
 	/* setup the private structure */
 	err = ixgbevf_sw_init(adapter);
+	if (err)
+		goto err_sw_init;
+
+	/* The HW MAC address was set and/or determined in sw_init */
+	memcpy(netdev->perm_addr, adapter->hw.mac.addr, netdev->addr_len);
+
+	if (!is_valid_ether_addr(netdev->dev_addr)) {
+		pr_err("invalid MAC address\n");
+		err = -EIO;
+		goto err_sw_init;
+	}
 
 	netdev->hw_features = NETIF_F_SG |
 			   NETIF_F_IP_CSUM |
@@ -3418,16 +3434,6 @@ static int __devinit ixgbevf_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 
 	netdev->priv_flags |= IFF_UNICAST_FLT;
 
-	/* The HW MAC address was set and/or determined in sw_init */
-	memcpy(netdev->dev_addr, adapter->hw.mac.addr, netdev->addr_len);
-	memcpy(netdev->perm_addr, adapter->hw.mac.addr, netdev->addr_len);
-
-	if (!is_valid_ether_addr(netdev->dev_addr)) {
-		pr_err("invalid MAC address\n");
-		err = -EIO;
-		goto err_sw_init;
-	}
-
 	init_timer(&adapter->watchdog_timer);
 	adapter->watchdog_timer.function = ixgbevf_watchdog;
 	adapter->watchdog_timer.data = (unsigned long)adapter;
diff --git a/include/linux/etherdevice.h b/include/linux/etherdevice.h
index 05955cf09937c17e0db7584275168485008b7a0d..8a1835855faa792f93cc1934109aa7da3c6bdcac 100644
--- a/include/linux/etherdevice.h
+++ b/include/linux/etherdevice.h
@@ -140,17 +140,18 @@ static inline void random_ether_addr(u8 *addr)
 }
 
 /**
- * dev_hw_addr_random - Create random MAC and set device flag
+ * eth_hw_addr_random - Generate software assigned random Ethernet and
+ * set device flag
  * @dev: pointer to net_device structure
- * @hwaddr: Pointer to a six-byte array containing the Ethernet address
  *
- * Generate random MAC to be used by a device and set addr_assign_type
- * so the state can be read by sysfs and be used by udev.
+ * Generate a random Ethernet address (MAC) to be used by a net device
+ * and set addr_assign_type so the state can be read by sysfs and be
+ * used by userspace.
  */
-static inline void dev_hw_addr_random(struct net_device *dev, u8 *hwaddr)
+static inline void eth_hw_addr_random(struct net_device *dev)
 {
 	dev->addr_assign_type |= NET_ADDR_RANDOM;
-	random_ether_addr(hwaddr);
+	random_ether_addr(dev->dev_addr);
 }
 
 /**