diff --git a/arch/arc/include/asm/unwind.h b/arch/arc/include/asm/unwind.h
index 7ca628b6ee2a..c11a25bb8158 100644
--- a/arch/arc/include/asm/unwind.h
+++ b/arch/arc/include/asm/unwind.h
@@ -112,7 +112,6 @@ struct unwind_frame_info {
 
 extern int arc_unwind(struct unwind_frame_info *frame);
 extern void arc_unwind_init(void);
-extern void arc_unwind_setup(void);
 extern void *unwind_add_table(struct module *module, const void *table_start,
 			      unsigned long table_size);
 extern void unwind_remove_table(void *handle, int init_only);
@@ -152,9 +151,6 @@ static inline void arc_unwind_init(void)
 {
 }
 
-static inline void arc_unwind_setup(void)
-{
-}
 #define unwind_add_table(a, b, c)
 #define unwind_remove_table(a, b)
 
diff --git a/arch/arc/kernel/setup.c b/arch/arc/kernel/setup.c
index c33e77c0ad3e..e1b87444ea9a 100644
--- a/arch/arc/kernel/setup.c
+++ b/arch/arc/kernel/setup.c
@@ -429,7 +429,6 @@ void __init setup_arch(char **cmdline_p)
 #endif
 
 	arc_unwind_init();
-	arc_unwind_setup();
 }
 
 static int __init customize_machine(void)
diff --git a/arch/arc/kernel/unwind.c b/arch/arc/kernel/unwind.c
index 7352475451f6..9f9ecc15556e 100644
--- a/arch/arc/kernel/unwind.c
+++ b/arch/arc/kernel/unwind.c
@@ -170,6 +170,23 @@ static struct unwind_table *find_table(unsigned long pc)
 
 static unsigned long read_pointer(const u8 **pLoc,
 				  const void *end, signed ptrType);
+static void init_unwind_hdr(struct unwind_table *table,
+			    void *(*alloc) (unsigned long));
+
+/*
+ * wrappers for header alloc (vs. calling one vs. other at call site)
+ * to elide section mismatches warnings
+ */
+static void *__init unw_hdr_alloc_early(unsigned long sz)
+{
+	return __alloc_bootmem_nopanic(sz, sizeof(unsigned int),
+				       MAX_DMA_ADDRESS);
+}
+
+static void *unw_hdr_alloc(unsigned long sz)
+{
+	return kmalloc(sz, GFP_KERNEL);
+}
 
 static void init_unwind_table(struct unwind_table *table, const char *name,
 			      const void *core_start, unsigned long core_size,
@@ -209,6 +226,8 @@ void __init arc_unwind_init(void)
 			  __start_unwind, __end_unwind - __start_unwind,
 			  NULL, 0);
 	  /*__start_unwind_hdr, __end_unwind_hdr - __start_unwind_hdr);*/
+
+	init_unwind_hdr(&root_table, unw_hdr_alloc_early);
 }
 
 static const u32 bad_cie, not_fde;
@@ -241,8 +260,8 @@ static void swap_eh_frame_hdr_table_entries(void *p1, void *p2, int size)
 	e2->fde = v;
 }
 
-static void __init setup_unwind_table(struct unwind_table *table,
-				      void *(*alloc) (unsigned long))
+static void init_unwind_hdr(struct unwind_table *table,
+			    void *(*alloc) (unsigned long))
 {
 	const u8 *ptr;
 	unsigned long tableSize = table->size, hdrSize;
@@ -300,9 +319,11 @@ static void __init setup_unwind_table(struct unwind_table *table,
 
 	hdrSize = 4 + sizeof(unsigned long) + sizeof(unsigned int)
 	    + 2 * n * sizeof(unsigned long);
+
 	header = alloc(hdrSize);
 	if (!header)
 		return;
+
 	header->version = 1;
 	header->eh_frame_ptr_enc = DW_EH_PE_abs | DW_EH_PE_native;
 	header->fde_count_enc = DW_EH_PE_abs | DW_EH_PE_data4;
@@ -342,18 +363,6 @@ static void __init setup_unwind_table(struct unwind_table *table,
 	table->header = (const void *)header;
 }
 
-static void *__init balloc(unsigned long sz)
-{
-	return __alloc_bootmem_nopanic(sz,
-				       sizeof(unsigned int),
-				       __pa(MAX_DMA_ADDRESS));
-}
-
-void __init arc_unwind_setup(void)
-{
-	setup_unwind_table(&root_table, balloc);
-}
-
 #ifdef CONFIG_MODULES
 
 static struct unwind_table *last_table;
@@ -377,6 +386,8 @@ void *unwind_add_table(struct module *module, const void *table_start,
 			  table_start, table_size,
 			  NULL, 0);
 
+	init_unwind_hdr(table, unw_hdr_alloc);
+
 #ifdef UNWIND_DEBUG
 	unw_debug("Table added for [%s] %lx %lx\n",
 		module->name, table->core.pc, table->core.range);
@@ -439,6 +450,7 @@ void unwind_remove_table(void *handle, int init_only)
 	info.init_only = init_only;
 
 	unlink_table(&info); /* XXX: SMP */
+	kfree(table->header);
 	kfree(table);
 }