diff --git a/arch/arc/Kconfig b/arch/arc/Kconfig
index f50ff986ed60d03d51cc3f42bd752305cf0a9048..cc938967282b6abaa79e19ef6a1b9d2007c0e6b1 100644
--- a/arch/arc/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/arc/Kconfig
@@ -194,6 +194,16 @@ config NR_CPUS
 	range 2 4096
 	default "4"
 
+config ARC_SMP_HALT_ON_RESET
+	bool "Enable Halt-on-reset boot mode"
+	default y if ARC_UBOOT_SUPPORT
+	help
+	  In SMP configuration cores can be configured as Halt-on-reset
+	  or they could all start at same time. For Halt-on-reset, non
+	  masters are parked until Master kicks them so they can start of
+	  at designated entry point. For other case, all jump to common
+	  entry point and spin wait for Master's signal.
+
 endif	#SMP
 
 menuconfig ARC_CACHE
diff --git a/arch/arc/kernel/entry-arcv2.S b/arch/arc/kernel/entry-arcv2.S
index 8fa76567e40299e0449b01d4d6dae6e7b8918807..445e63a10754fbdb0be82663af03f489282cfce5 100644
--- a/arch/arc/kernel/entry-arcv2.S
+++ b/arch/arc/kernel/entry-arcv2.S
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 	.align 4
 
 # Initial 16 slots are Exception Vectors
-VECTOR	stext			; Restart Vector (jump to entry point)
+VECTOR	res_service		; Reset Vector
 VECTOR	mem_service		; Mem exception
 VECTOR	instr_service		; Instrn Error
 VECTOR	EV_MachineCheck		; Fatal Machine check
diff --git a/arch/arc/kernel/entry-compact.S b/arch/arc/kernel/entry-compact.S
index 5221f194602b5708bf92679cff289e105b87a16b..59f52035b4ea34a582b50b80e5db48893c1dc7bf 100644
--- a/arch/arc/kernel/entry-compact.S
+++ b/arch/arc/kernel/entry-compact.S
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@
  */
 
 ; ********* Critical System Events **********************
-VECTOR   res_service             ; 0x0, Restart Vector  (0x0)
+VECTOR   res_service             ; 0x0, Reset Vector	(0x0)
 VECTOR   mem_service             ; 0x8, Mem exception   (0x1)
 VECTOR   instr_service           ; 0x10, Instrn Error   (0x2)
 
@@ -155,13 +155,9 @@ int2_saved_reg:
 ; ---------------------------------------------
 	.section .text, "ax",@progbits
 
-res_service:		; processor restart
-	flag    0x1     ; not implemented
-	nop
-	nop
 
-reserved:		; processor restart
-	rtie            ; jump to processor initializations
+reserved:
+	flag 1		; Unexpected event, halt
 
 ;##################### Interrupt Handling ##############################
 
diff --git a/arch/arc/kernel/head.S b/arch/arc/kernel/head.S
index 812f95e6ae6946d56550cbd80a0baaa8a6e94cc0..e7fa703c8d5ef00417f81242d4119cb94fa42c56 100644
--- a/arch/arc/kernel/head.S
+++ b/arch/arc/kernel/head.S
@@ -50,28 +50,37 @@
 .endm
 
 	.section .init.text, "ax",@progbits
-	.type stext, @function
-	.globl stext
-stext:
-	;-------------------------------------------------------------------
-	; Don't clobber r0-r2 yet. It might have bootloader provided info
-	;-------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+;----------------------------------------------------------------
+; Default Reset Handler (jumped into from Reset vector)
+; - Don't clobber r0,r1,r2 as they might have u-boot provided args
+; - Platforms can override this weak version if needed
+;----------------------------------------------------------------
+WEAK(res_service)
+	j	stext
+END(res_service)
+
+;----------------------------------------------------------------
+; Kernel Entry point
+;----------------------------------------------------------------
+ENTRY(stext)
 
 	CPU_EARLY_SETUP
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_SMP
-	; Ensure Boot (Master) proceeds. Others wait in platform dependent way
-	;	IDENTITY Reg [ 3  2  1  0 ]
-	;	(cpu-id)             ^^^	=> Zero for UP ARC700
-	;					=> #Core-ID if SMP (Master 0)
-	; Note that non-boot CPUs might not land here if halt-on-reset and
-	; instead breath life from @first_lines_of_secondary, but we still
-	; need to make sure only boot cpu takes this path.
 	GET_CPU_ID  r5
 	cmp	r5, 0
-	mov.ne	r0, r5
-	jne	arc_platform_smp_wait_to_boot
+	mov.nz	r0, r5
+#ifdef CONFIG_ARC_SMP_HALT_ON_RESET
+	; Non-Master can proceed as system would be booted sufficiently
+	jnz	first_lines_of_secondary
+#else
+	; Non-Masters wait for Master to boot enough and bring them up
+	jnz	arc_platform_smp_wait_to_boot
+#endif
+	; Master falls thru
 #endif
+
 	; Clear BSS before updating any globals
 	; XXX: use ZOL here
 	mov	r5, __bss_start
@@ -102,16 +111,14 @@ stext:
 	GET_TSK_STACK_BASE r9, sp	; r9 = tsk, sp = stack base(output)
 
 	j	start_kernel	; "C" entry point
+END(stext)
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_SMP
 ;----------------------------------------------------------------
 ;     First lines of code run by secondary before jumping to 'C'
 ;----------------------------------------------------------------
 	.section .text, "ax",@progbits
-	.type first_lines_of_secondary, @function
-	.globl first_lines_of_secondary
-
-first_lines_of_secondary:
+ENTRY(first_lines_of_secondary)
 
 	CPU_EARLY_SETUP
 
@@ -126,5 +133,5 @@ first_lines_of_secondary:
 	GET_TSK_STACK_BASE r0, sp
 
 	j	start_kernel_secondary
-
+END(first_lines_of_secondary)
 #endif
diff --git a/arch/arc/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S b/arch/arc/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
index dd35bde39f6938e483b2cfd2a2e39a1cf2148c71..894e696bddaa3ca3fab6bdca6ed4f7ac451bb290 100644
--- a/arch/arc/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
+++ b/arch/arc/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 #include <asm/thread_info.h>
 
 OUTPUT_ARCH(arc)
-ENTRY(_stext)
+ENTRY(res_service)
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_CPU_BIG_ENDIAN
 jiffies = jiffies_64 + 4;