diff --git a/arch/arc/include/asm/pgtable.h b/arch/arc/include/asm/pgtable.h
index 4749a0eee1cffcf3a06c916353af6db9facc19a1..99799c91ca00a5ce8aec1fa71ed6a461032d074d 100644
--- a/arch/arc/include/asm/pgtable.h
+++ b/arch/arc/include/asm/pgtable.h
@@ -57,27 +57,21 @@
 
 #define _PAGE_ACCESSED      (1<<1)	/* Page is accessed (S) */
 #define _PAGE_CACHEABLE     (1<<2)	/* Page is cached (H) */
-#define _PAGE_U_EXECUTE     (1<<3)	/* Page has user execute perm (H) */
-#define _PAGE_U_WRITE       (1<<4)	/* Page has user write perm (H) */
-#define _PAGE_U_READ        (1<<5)	/* Page has user read perm (H) */
-#define _PAGE_K_EXECUTE     (1<<6)	/* Page has kernel execute perm (H) */
-#define _PAGE_K_WRITE       (1<<7)	/* Page has kernel write perm (H) */
-#define _PAGE_K_READ        (1<<8)	/* Page has kernel perm (H) */
+#define _PAGE_EXECUTE       (1<<3)	/* Page has user execute perm (H) */
+#define _PAGE_WRITE         (1<<4)	/* Page has user write perm (H) */
+#define _PAGE_READ          (1<<5)	/* Page has user read perm (H) */
 #define _PAGE_GLOBAL        (1<<9)	/* Page is global (H) */
 #define _PAGE_MODIFIED      (1<<10)	/* Page modified (dirty) (S) */
 #define _PAGE_FILE          (1<<10)	/* page cache/ swap (S) */
 #define _PAGE_PRESENT       (1<<11)	/* TLB entry is valid (H) */
 
-#else
+#else	/* MMU v3 onwards */
 
 /* PD1 */
 #define _PAGE_CACHEABLE     (1<<0)	/* Page is cached (H) */
-#define _PAGE_U_EXECUTE     (1<<1)	/* Page has user execute perm (H) */
-#define _PAGE_U_WRITE       (1<<2)	/* Page has user write perm (H) */
-#define _PAGE_U_READ        (1<<3)	/* Page has user read perm (H) */
-#define _PAGE_K_EXECUTE     (1<<4)	/* Page has kernel execute perm (H) */
-#define _PAGE_K_WRITE       (1<<5)	/* Page has kernel write perm (H) */
-#define _PAGE_K_READ        (1<<6)	/* Page has kernel perm (H) */
+#define _PAGE_EXECUTE       (1<<1)	/* Page has user execute perm (H) */
+#define _PAGE_WRITE         (1<<2)	/* Page has user write perm (H) */
+#define _PAGE_READ          (1<<3)	/* Page has user read perm (H) */
 #define _PAGE_ACCESSED      (1<<7)	/* Page is accessed (S) */
 
 /* PD0 */
@@ -92,8 +86,8 @@
 #define _PAGE_SHARED_CODE_H (1<<31)	/* Hardware counterpart of above */
 #endif
 
-/* Kernel allowed all permissions for all pages */
-#define _K_PAGE_PERMS  (_PAGE_K_EXECUTE | _PAGE_K_WRITE | _PAGE_K_READ | \
+/* vmalloc permissions */
+#define _K_PAGE_PERMS  (_PAGE_EXECUTE | _PAGE_WRITE | _PAGE_READ | \
 			_PAGE_GLOBAL | _PAGE_PRESENT)
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_ARC_CACHE_PAGES
@@ -109,10 +103,6 @@
  */
 #define ___DEF (_PAGE_PRESENT | _PAGE_DEF_CACHEABLE)
 
-#define _PAGE_READ	(_PAGE_U_READ    | _PAGE_K_READ)
-#define _PAGE_WRITE	(_PAGE_U_WRITE   | _PAGE_K_WRITE)
-#define _PAGE_EXECUTE	(_PAGE_U_EXECUTE | _PAGE_K_EXECUTE)
-
 /* Set of bits not changed in pte_modify */
 #define _PAGE_CHG_MASK	(PAGE_MASK | _PAGE_ACCESSED | _PAGE_MODIFIED)
 
@@ -126,8 +116,8 @@
 
 #define PAGE_SHARED	PAGE_U_W_R
 
-/* While kernel runs out of unstrslated space, vmalloc/modules use a chunk of
- * kernel vaddr space - visible in all addr spaces, but kernel mode only
+/* While kernel runs out of unstranslated space, vmalloc/modules use a chunk of
+ * user vaddr space - visible in all addr spaces, but kernel mode only
  * Thus Global, all-kernel-access, no-user-access, cached
  */
 #define PAGE_KERNEL          __pgprot(_K_PAGE_PERMS | _PAGE_DEF_CACHEABLE)
@@ -136,10 +126,9 @@
 #define PAGE_KERNEL_NO_CACHE __pgprot(_K_PAGE_PERMS)
 
 /* Masks for actual TLB "PD"s */
-#define PTE_BITS_IN_PD0	(_PAGE_GLOBAL | _PAGE_PRESENT)
-#define PTE_BITS_IN_PD1	(PAGE_MASK | _PAGE_CACHEABLE | \
-			 _PAGE_U_EXECUTE | _PAGE_U_WRITE | _PAGE_U_READ | \
-			 _PAGE_K_EXECUTE | _PAGE_K_WRITE | _PAGE_K_READ)
+#define PTE_BITS_IN_PD0		(_PAGE_GLOBAL | _PAGE_PRESENT)
+#define PTE_BITS_RWX		(_PAGE_EXECUTE | _PAGE_WRITE | _PAGE_READ)
+#define PTE_BITS_NON_RWX_IN_PD1	(PAGE_MASK | _PAGE_CACHEABLE)
 
 /**************************************************************************
  * Mapping of vm_flags (Generic VM) to PTE flags (arch specific)
diff --git a/arch/arc/mm/tlb.c b/arch/arc/mm/tlb.c
index 7957dc4e4d4a4c8acee3fe521d0ecf8bb939c39c..f9908341e8a75cadc30621186a3ff9c4f3042736 100644
--- a/arch/arc/mm/tlb.c
+++ b/arch/arc/mm/tlb.c
@@ -341,7 +341,7 @@ void local_flush_tlb_page(struct vm_area_struct *vma, unsigned long page)
 void create_tlb(struct vm_area_struct *vma, unsigned long address, pte_t *ptep)
 {
 	unsigned long flags;
-	unsigned int idx, asid_or_sasid;
+	unsigned int idx, asid_or_sasid, rwx;
 	unsigned long pd0_flags;
 
 	/*
@@ -393,8 +393,23 @@ void create_tlb(struct vm_area_struct *vma, unsigned long address, pte_t *ptep)
 
 	write_aux_reg(ARC_REG_TLBPD0, address | pd0_flags | asid_or_sasid);
 
+	/*
+	 * ARC MMU provides fully orthogonal access bits for K/U mode,
+	 * however Linux only saves 1 set to save PTE real-estate
+	 * Here we convert 3 PTE bits into 6 MMU bits:
+	 * -Kernel only entries have Kr Kw Kx 0 0 0
+	 * -User entries have mirrored K and U bits
+	 */
+	rwx = pte_val(*ptep) & PTE_BITS_RWX;
+
+	if (pte_val(*ptep) & _PAGE_GLOBAL)
+		rwx <<= 3;		/* r w x => Kr Kw Kx 0 0 0 */
+	else
+		rwx |= (rwx << 3);	/* r w x => Kr Kw Kx Ur Uw Ux */
+
 	/* Load remaining info in PD1 (Page Frame Addr and Kx/Kw/Kr Flags) */
-	write_aux_reg(ARC_REG_TLBPD1, (pte_val(*ptep) & PTE_BITS_IN_PD1));
+	write_aux_reg(ARC_REG_TLBPD1,
+		      rwx | (pte_val(*ptep) & PTE_BITS_NON_RWX_IN_PD1));
 
 	/* First verify if entry for this vaddr+ASID already exists */
 	write_aux_reg(ARC_REG_TLBCOMMAND, TLBProbe);
diff --git a/arch/arc/mm/tlbex.S b/arch/arc/mm/tlbex.S
index 9cce00e94b4378ce5d8ea474652dc74eebbd24a6..ec382e59d6815ead8e648ea05e56171a476fa479 100644
--- a/arch/arc/mm/tlbex.S
+++ b/arch/arc/mm/tlbex.S
@@ -218,8 +218,15 @@ ex_saved_reg1:
 ; IN: r0 = PTE, r1 = ptr to PTE
 
 .macro CONV_PTE_TO_TLB
-	and r3, r0, PTE_BITS_IN_PD1 ; Extract permission flags+PFN from PTE
-	sr  r3, [ARC_REG_TLBPD1]    ; these go in PD1
+	and    r3, r0, PTE_BITS_RWX	;       r w x
+	lsl    r2, r3, 3		; r w x 0 0 0
+	and.f  0,  r0, _PAGE_GLOBAL
+	or.z   r2, r2, r3		; r w x r w x
+
+	and r3, r0, PTE_BITS_NON_RWX_IN_PD1 ; Extract PFN+cache bits from PTE
+	or  r3, r3, r2
+
+	sr  r3, [ARC_REG_TLBPD1]    	; these go in PD1
 
 	and r2, r0, PTE_BITS_IN_PD0 ; Extract other PTE flags: (V)alid, (G)lb
 #if (CONFIG_ARC_MMU_VER <= 2)   /* Neednot be done with v3 onwards */
@@ -272,8 +279,8 @@ ARC_ENTRY EV_TLBMissI
 	;----------------------------------------------------------------
 	; VERIFY_PTE: Check if PTE permissions approp for executing code
 	cmp_s   r2, VMALLOC_START
-	mov.lo  r2, (_PAGE_PRESENT | _PAGE_U_EXECUTE)
-	mov.hs  r2, (_PAGE_PRESENT | _PAGE_K_EXECUTE)
+	mov_s   r2, (_PAGE_PRESENT | _PAGE_EXECUTE)
+	or.hs   r2, r2, _PAGE_GLOBAL
 
 	and     r3, r0, r2  ; Mask out NON Flag bits from PTE
 	xor.f   r3, r3, r2  ; check ( ( pte & flags_test ) == flags_test )
@@ -312,26 +319,21 @@ ARC_ENTRY EV_TLBMissD
 	;----------------------------------------------------------------
 	; VERIFY_PTE: Chk if PTE permissions approp for data access (R/W/R+W)
 
-	mov_s   r2, 0
+	cmp_s	r2, VMALLOC_START
+	mov_s   r2, _PAGE_PRESENT	; common bit for K/U PTE
+	or.hs	r2, r2, _PAGE_GLOBAL	; kernel PTE only
+
+	; Linux PTE [RWX] bits are semantically overloaded:
+	; -If PAGE_GLOBAL set, they refer to kernel-only flags (vmalloc)
+	; -Otherwise they are user-mode permissions, and those are exactly
+	;  same for kernel mode as well (e.g. copy_(to|from)_user)
+
 	lr      r3, [ecr]
 	btst_s  r3, ECR_C_BIT_DTLB_LD_MISS	; Read Access
-	or.nz   r2, r2, _PAGE_U_READ      	; chk for Read flag in PTE
+	or.nz   r2, r2, _PAGE_READ      	; chk for Read flag in PTE
 	btst_s  r3, ECR_C_BIT_DTLB_ST_MISS	; Write Access
-	or.nz   r2, r2, _PAGE_U_WRITE     	; chk for Write flag in PTE
-	; Above laddering takes care of XCHG access
-	;   which is both Read and Write
-
-	; If kernel mode access, ; make _PAGE_xx flags as _PAGE_K_xx
-	; For copy_(to|from)_user, despite exception taken in kernel mode,
-	; this code is not hit, because EFA would still be the user mode
-	; address (EFA < 0x6000_0000).
-	; This code is for legit kernel mode faults, vmalloc specifically
-	; (EFA: 0x7000_0000 to 0x7FFF_FFFF)
-
-	lr      r3, [efa]
-	cmp     r3, VMALLOC_START - 1   ; If kernel mode access
-	asl.hi  r2, r2, 3               ; make _PAGE_xx flags as _PAGE_K_xx
-	or      r2, r2, _PAGE_PRESENT   ; Common flag for K/U mode
+	or.nz   r2, r2, _PAGE_WRITE     	; chk for Write flag in PTE
+	; Above laddering takes care of XCHG access (both R and W)
 
 	; By now, r2 setup with all the Flags we need to check in PTE
 	and     r3, r0, r2              ; Mask out NON Flag bits from PTE