diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/lio_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/lio_main.c
index a34b3bb2dd4f..dafc79bd34f4 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/lio_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/lio_main.c
@@ -1279,6 +1279,14 @@ static int liquidio_stop_nic_module(struct octeon_device *oct)
 	struct lio *lio;
 
 	dev_dbg(&oct->pci_dev->dev, "Stopping network interfaces\n");
+	device_lock(&oct->pci_dev->dev);
+	if (oct->devlink) {
+		devlink_unregister(oct->devlink);
+		devlink_free(oct->devlink);
+		oct->devlink = NULL;
+	}
+	device_unlock(&oct->pci_dev->dev);
+
 	if (!oct->ifcount) {
 		dev_err(&oct->pci_dev->dev, "Init for Octeon was not completed\n");
 		return 1;
@@ -1300,12 +1308,6 @@ static int liquidio_stop_nic_module(struct octeon_device *oct)
 	for (i = 0; i < oct->ifcount; i++)
 		liquidio_destroy_nic_device(oct, i);
 
-	if (oct->devlink) {
-		devlink_unregister(oct->devlink);
-		devlink_free(oct->devlink);
-		oct->devlink = NULL;
-	}
-
 	dev_dbg(&oct->pci_dev->dev, "Network interfaces stopped\n");
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -3749,10 +3751,12 @@ static int setup_nic_devices(struct octeon_device *octeon_dev)
 		}
 	}
 
+	device_lock(&octeon_dev->pci_dev->dev);
 	devlink = devlink_alloc(&liquidio_devlink_ops,
 				sizeof(struct lio_devlink_priv),
 				&octeon_dev->pci_dev->dev);
 	if (!devlink) {
+		device_unlock(&octeon_dev->pci_dev->dev);
 		dev_err(&octeon_dev->pci_dev->dev, "devlink alloc failed\n");
 		goto setup_nic_dev_free;
 	}
@@ -3760,9 +3764,10 @@ static int setup_nic_devices(struct octeon_device *octeon_dev)
 	lio_devlink = devlink_priv(devlink);
 	lio_devlink->oct = octeon_dev;
 
-	devlink_register(devlink);
 	octeon_dev->devlink = devlink;
 	octeon_dev->eswitch_mode = DEVLINK_ESWITCH_MODE_LEGACY;
+	devlink_register(devlink);
+	device_unlock(&octeon_dev->pci_dev->dev);
 
 	return 0;