diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/ibm/ibmveth.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/ibm/ibmveth.c
index c9127562bd22cb51114249d35264bcbb679dcc3d..21978cc019e7c86dab83968ba994c0e9051c8e33 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/ibm/ibmveth.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/ibm/ibmveth.c
@@ -292,6 +292,18 @@ static void ibmveth_replenish_buffer_pool(struct ibmveth_adapter *adapter,
 	atomic_add(buffers_added, &(pool->available));
 }
 
+/*
+ * The final 8 bytes of the buffer list is a counter of frames dropped
+ * because there was not a buffer in the buffer list capable of holding
+ * the frame.
+ */
+static void ibmveth_update_rx_no_buffer(struct ibmveth_adapter *adapter)
+{
+	__be64 *p = adapter->buffer_list_addr + 4096 - 8;
+
+	adapter->rx_no_buffer = be64_to_cpup(p);
+}
+
 /* replenish routine */
 static void ibmveth_replenish_task(struct ibmveth_adapter *adapter)
 {
@@ -307,8 +319,7 @@ static void ibmveth_replenish_task(struct ibmveth_adapter *adapter)
 			ibmveth_replenish_buffer_pool(adapter, pool);
 	}
 
-	adapter->rx_no_buffer = *(u64 *)(((char*)adapter->buffer_list_addr) +
-						4096 - 8);
+	ibmveth_update_rx_no_buffer(adapter);
 }
 
 /* empty and free ana buffer pool - also used to do cleanup in error paths */
@@ -698,8 +709,7 @@ static int ibmveth_close(struct net_device *netdev)
 
 	free_irq(netdev->irq, netdev);
 
-	adapter->rx_no_buffer = *(u64 *)(((char *)adapter->buffer_list_addr) +
-						4096 - 8);
+	ibmveth_update_rx_no_buffer(adapter);
 
 	ibmveth_cleanup(adapter);