diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/apic_32.c b/arch/x86/kernel/apic_32.c
index d2a7eb511d6ba33da9406e1cca837619e8b177d8..7f30c0f3dbe453d97feaa7e065bc8bc66a693152 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/apic_32.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/apic_32.c
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ char system_vectors[NR_VECTORS] = { [0 ... NR_VECTORS-1] = SYS_VECTOR_FREE};
 /*
  * Debug level, exported for io_apic.c
  */
-int apic_verbosity;
+unsigned int apic_verbosity;
 
 int pic_mode;
 
diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/apic_64.c b/arch/x86/kernel/apic_64.c
index ce294d623e5f05fb11f7f9b23774e7567635b54b..98c70f044e19b12c1562056375cb865ce26343b0 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/apic_64.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/apic_64.c
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(local_apic_timer_c2_ok);
 /*
  * Debug level, exported for io_apic.c
  */
-int apic_verbosity;
+unsigned int apic_verbosity;
 
 /* Have we found an MP table */
 int smp_found_config;
diff --git a/include/asm-x86/apic.h b/include/asm-x86/apic.h
index ea866baccefca5fae8daa158eb89d619b1e898e1..a3dd4c3e3629ed4bc10de566f068ad75dba7bd9e 100644
--- a/include/asm-x86/apic.h
+++ b/include/asm-x86/apic.h
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ extern void generic_apic_probe(void);
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_X86_LOCAL_APIC
 
-extern int apic_verbosity;
+extern unsigned int apic_verbosity;
 extern int local_apic_timer_c2_ok;
 
 extern int ioapic_force;