diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/cgx.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/cgx.c
index 5776978a4647..4c94571e03eb 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/cgx.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/cgx.c
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ struct cgx {
 	u8			cgx_id;
 	u8			lmac_count;
 	struct lmac		*lmac_idmap[MAX_LMAC_PER_CGX];
+	struct			work_struct cgx_cmd_work;
+	struct			workqueue_struct *cgx_cmd_workq;
 	struct list_head	cgx_list;
 };
 
@@ -68,6 +70,9 @@ static u32 cgx_speed_mbps[CGX_LINK_SPEED_MAX];
 /* Convert firmware lmac type encoding to string */
 static char *cgx_lmactype_string[LMAC_MODE_MAX];
 
+/* CGX PHY management internal APIs */
+static int cgx_fwi_link_change(struct cgx *cgx, int lmac_id, bool en);
+
 /* Supported devices */
 static const struct pci_device_id cgx_id_table[] = {
 	{ PCI_DEVICE(PCI_VENDOR_ID_CAVIUM, PCI_DEVID_OCTEONTX2_CGX) },
@@ -578,6 +583,19 @@ int cgx_lmac_evh_unregister(void *cgxd, int lmac_id)
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(cgx_lmac_evh_unregister);
 
+static int cgx_fwi_link_change(struct cgx *cgx, int lmac_id, bool enable)
+{
+	u64 req = 0;
+	u64 resp;
+
+	if (enable)
+		req = FIELD_SET(CMDREG_ID, CGX_CMD_LINK_BRING_UP, req);
+	else
+		req = FIELD_SET(CMDREG_ID, CGX_CMD_LINK_BRING_DOWN, req);
+
+	return cgx_fwi_cmd_generic(req, &resp, cgx, lmac_id);
+}
+
 static inline int cgx_fwi_read_version(u64 *resp, struct cgx *cgx)
 {
 	u64 req = 0;
@@ -611,6 +629,34 @@ static int cgx_lmac_verify_fwi_version(struct cgx *cgx)
 		return 0;
 }
 
+static void cgx_lmac_linkup_work(struct work_struct *work)
+{
+	struct cgx *cgx = container_of(work, struct cgx, cgx_cmd_work);
+	struct device *dev = &cgx->pdev->dev;
+	int i, err;
+
+	/* Do Link up for all the lmacs */
+	for (i = 0; i < cgx->lmac_count; i++) {
+		err = cgx_fwi_link_change(cgx, i, true);
+		if (err)
+			dev_info(dev, "cgx port %d:%d Link up command failed\n",
+				 cgx->cgx_id, i);
+	}
+}
+
+int cgx_lmac_linkup_start(void *cgxd)
+{
+	struct cgx *cgx = cgxd;
+
+	if (!cgx)
+		return -ENODEV;
+
+	queue_work(cgx->cgx_cmd_workq, &cgx->cgx_cmd_work);
+
+	return 0;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(cgx_lmac_linkup_start);
+
 static int cgx_lmac_init(struct cgx *cgx)
 {
 	struct lmac *lmac;
@@ -655,6 +701,12 @@ static int cgx_lmac_exit(struct cgx *cgx)
 	struct lmac *lmac;
 	int i;
 
+	if (cgx->cgx_cmd_workq) {
+		flush_workqueue(cgx->cgx_cmd_workq);
+		destroy_workqueue(cgx->cgx_cmd_workq);
+		cgx->cgx_cmd_workq = NULL;
+	}
+
 	/* Free all lmac related resources */
 	for (i = 0; i < cgx->lmac_count; i++) {
 		lmac = cgx->lmac_idmap[i];
@@ -713,6 +765,15 @@ static int cgx_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev, const struct pci_device_id *id)
 	cgx->cgx_id = (pci_resource_start(pdev, PCI_CFG_REG_BAR_NUM) >> 24)
 		& CGX_ID_MASK;
 
+	/* init wq for processing linkup requests */
+	INIT_WORK(&cgx->cgx_cmd_work, cgx_lmac_linkup_work);
+	cgx->cgx_cmd_workq = alloc_workqueue("cgx_cmd_workq", 0, 0);
+	if (!cgx->cgx_cmd_workq) {
+		dev_err(dev, "alloc workqueue failed for cgx cmd");
+		err = -ENOMEM;
+		goto err_release_regions;
+	}
+
 	list_add(&cgx->cgx_list, &cgx_list);
 
 	cgx_link_usertable_init();
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/cgx.h b/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/cgx.h
index a2bff00b17cf..8c2be8493321 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/cgx.h
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/cgx.h
@@ -110,4 +110,5 @@ void cgx_lmac_promisc_config(int cgx_id, int lmac_id, bool enable);
 int cgx_lmac_internal_loopback(void *cgxd, int lmac_id, bool enable);
 int cgx_get_link_info(void *cgxd, int lmac_id,
 		      struct cgx_link_user_info *linfo);
+int cgx_lmac_linkup_start(void *cgxd);
 #endif /* CGX_H */
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/rvu_cgx.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/rvu_cgx.c
index 66d94df9b8a2..7d7133c5f799 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/rvu_cgx.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/marvell/octeontx2/af/rvu_cgx.c
@@ -238,6 +238,8 @@ static int cgx_lmac_event_handler_init(struct rvu *rvu)
 
 	for (cgx = 0; cgx <= rvu->cgx_cnt_max; cgx++) {
 		cgxd = rvu_cgx_pdata(cgx, rvu);
+		if (!cgxd)
+			continue;
 		for (lmac = 0; lmac < cgx_get_lmac_cnt(cgxd); lmac++) {
 			err = cgx_lmac_evh_register(&cb, cgxd, lmac);
 			if (err)
@@ -262,6 +264,7 @@ static void rvu_cgx_wq_destroy(struct rvu *rvu)
 int rvu_cgx_init(struct rvu *rvu)
 {
 	int cgx, err;
+	void *cgxd;
 
 	/* CGX port id starts from 0 and are not necessarily contiguous
 	 * Hence we allocate resources based on the maximum port id value.
@@ -291,6 +294,23 @@ int rvu_cgx_init(struct rvu *rvu)
 	if (err)
 		return err;
 
+	/* Ensure event handler registration is completed, before
+	 * we turn on the links
+	 */
+	mb();
+
+	/* Do link up for all CGX ports */
+	for (cgx = 0; cgx <= rvu->cgx_cnt_max; cgx++) {
+		cgxd = rvu_cgx_pdata(cgx, rvu);
+		if (!cgxd)
+			continue;
+		err = cgx_lmac_linkup_start(cgxd);
+		if (err)
+			dev_err(rvu->dev,
+				"Link up process failed to start on cgx %d\n",
+				cgx);
+	}
+
 	return 0;
 }