diff --git a/include/linux/rcuclassic.h b/include/linux/rcuclassic.h
index f3f697df1d71..80044a4f3ab9 100644
--- a/include/linux/rcuclassic.h
+++ b/include/linux/rcuclassic.h
@@ -181,4 +181,10 @@ extern long rcu_batches_completed_bh(void);
 #define rcu_enter_nohz()	do { } while (0)
 #define rcu_exit_nohz()		do { } while (0)
 
+/* A context switch is a grace period for rcuclassic. */
+static inline int rcu_blocking_is_gp(void)
+{
+	return num_online_cpus() == 1;
+}
+
 #endif /* __LINUX_RCUCLASSIC_H */
diff --git a/include/linux/rcupdate.h b/include/linux/rcupdate.h
index 921340a7b71c..528343e6da51 100644
--- a/include/linux/rcupdate.h
+++ b/include/linux/rcupdate.h
@@ -52,6 +52,9 @@ struct rcu_head {
 	void (*func)(struct rcu_head *head);
 };
 
+/* Internal to kernel, but needed by rcupreempt.h. */
+extern int rcu_scheduler_active;
+
 #if defined(CONFIG_CLASSIC_RCU)
 #include <linux/rcuclassic.h>
 #elif defined(CONFIG_TREE_RCU)
@@ -265,6 +268,7 @@ extern void rcu_barrier_sched(void);
 
 /* Internal to kernel */
 extern void rcu_init(void);
+extern void rcu_scheduler_starting(void);
 extern int rcu_needs_cpu(int cpu);
 
 #endif /* __LINUX_RCUPDATE_H */
diff --git a/include/linux/rcupreempt.h b/include/linux/rcupreempt.h
index 3e05c09b54a2..74304b4538d8 100644
--- a/include/linux/rcupreempt.h
+++ b/include/linux/rcupreempt.h
@@ -142,4 +142,19 @@ static inline void rcu_exit_nohz(void)
 #define rcu_exit_nohz()		do { } while (0)
 #endif /* CONFIG_NO_HZ */
 
+/*
+ * A context switch is a grace period for rcupreempt synchronize_rcu()
+ * only during early boot, before the scheduler has been initialized.
+ * So, how the heck do we get a context switch?  Well, if the caller
+ * invokes synchronize_rcu(), they are willing to accept a context
+ * switch, so we simply pretend that one happened.
+ *
+ * After boot, there might be a blocked or preempted task in an RCU
+ * read-side critical section, so we cannot then take the fastpath.
+ */
+static inline int rcu_blocking_is_gp(void)
+{
+	return num_online_cpus() == 1 && !rcu_scheduler_active;
+}
+
 #endif /* __LINUX_RCUPREEMPT_H */
diff --git a/include/linux/rcutree.h b/include/linux/rcutree.h
index d4368b7975c3..a722fb67bb2d 100644
--- a/include/linux/rcutree.h
+++ b/include/linux/rcutree.h
@@ -326,4 +326,10 @@ static inline void rcu_exit_nohz(void)
 }
 #endif /* CONFIG_NO_HZ */
 
+/* A context switch is a grace period for rcutree. */
+static inline int rcu_blocking_is_gp(void)
+{
+	return num_online_cpus() == 1;
+}
+
 #endif /* __LINUX_RCUTREE_H */
diff --git a/init/main.c b/init/main.c
index 844209453c02..83697e160b3a 100644
--- a/init/main.c
+++ b/init/main.c
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ static inline void mark_rodata_ro(void) { }
 extern void tc_init(void);
 #endif
 
-enum system_states system_state;
+enum system_states system_state __read_mostly;
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(system_state);
 
 /*
@@ -463,6 +463,7 @@ static noinline void __init_refok rest_init(void)
 	 * at least once to get things moving:
 	 */
 	init_idle_bootup_task(current);
+	rcu_scheduler_starting();
 	preempt_enable_no_resched();
 	schedule();
 	preempt_disable();
diff --git a/kernel/rcuclassic.c b/kernel/rcuclassic.c
index bd5a9003497c..654c640a6b9c 100644
--- a/kernel/rcuclassic.c
+++ b/kernel/rcuclassic.c
@@ -679,8 +679,8 @@ int rcu_needs_cpu(int cpu)
 void rcu_check_callbacks(int cpu, int user)
 {
 	if (user ||
-	    (idle_cpu(cpu) && !in_softirq() &&
-				hardirq_count() <= (1 << HARDIRQ_SHIFT))) {
+	    (idle_cpu(cpu) && rcu_scheduler_active &&
+	     !in_softirq() && hardirq_count() <= (1 << HARDIRQ_SHIFT))) {
 
 		/*
 		 * Get here if this CPU took its interrupt from user
diff --git a/kernel/rcupdate.c b/kernel/rcupdate.c
index d92a76a881aa..cae8a059cf47 100644
--- a/kernel/rcupdate.c
+++ b/kernel/rcupdate.c
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
 #include <linux/cpu.h>
 #include <linux/mutex.h>
 #include <linux/module.h>
+#include <linux/kernel_stat.h>
 
 enum rcu_barrier {
 	RCU_BARRIER_STD,
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ static DEFINE_PER_CPU(struct rcu_head, rcu_barrier_head) = {NULL};
 static atomic_t rcu_barrier_cpu_count;
 static DEFINE_MUTEX(rcu_barrier_mutex);
 static struct completion rcu_barrier_completion;
+int rcu_scheduler_active __read_mostly;
 
 /*
  * Awaken the corresponding synchronize_rcu() instance now that a
@@ -80,6 +82,10 @@ void wakeme_after_rcu(struct rcu_head  *head)
 void synchronize_rcu(void)
 {
 	struct rcu_synchronize rcu;
+
+	if (rcu_blocking_is_gp())
+		return;
+
 	init_completion(&rcu.completion);
 	/* Will wake me after RCU finished. */
 	call_rcu(&rcu.head, wakeme_after_rcu);
@@ -175,3 +181,9 @@ void __init rcu_init(void)
 	__rcu_init();
 }
 
+void rcu_scheduler_starting(void)
+{
+	WARN_ON(num_online_cpus() != 1);
+	WARN_ON(nr_context_switches() > 0);
+	rcu_scheduler_active = 1;
+}
diff --git a/kernel/rcupreempt.c b/kernel/rcupreempt.c
index 33cfc50781f9..5d59e850fb71 100644
--- a/kernel/rcupreempt.c
+++ b/kernel/rcupreempt.c
@@ -1181,6 +1181,9 @@ void __synchronize_sched(void)
 {
 	struct rcu_synchronize rcu;
 
+	if (num_online_cpus() == 1)
+		return;  /* blocking is gp if only one CPU! */
+
 	init_completion(&rcu.completion);
 	/* Will wake me after RCU finished. */
 	call_rcu_sched(&rcu.head, wakeme_after_rcu);
diff --git a/kernel/rcutree.c b/kernel/rcutree.c
index b2fd602a6f6f..97ce31579ec0 100644
--- a/kernel/rcutree.c
+++ b/kernel/rcutree.c
@@ -948,8 +948,8 @@ static void rcu_do_batch(struct rcu_data *rdp)
 void rcu_check_callbacks(int cpu, int user)
 {
 	if (user ||
-	    (idle_cpu(cpu) && !in_softirq() &&
-				hardirq_count() <= (1 << HARDIRQ_SHIFT))) {
+	    (idle_cpu(cpu) && rcu_scheduler_active &&
+	     !in_softirq() && hardirq_count() <= (1 << HARDIRQ_SHIFT))) {
 
 		/*
 		 * Get here if this CPU took its interrupt from user