diff --git a/drivers/tty/serial/kgdboc.c b/drivers/tty/serial/kgdboc.c
index c7d51b51898f..9ace39fc4f95 100644
--- a/drivers/tty/serial/kgdboc.c
+++ b/drivers/tty/serial/kgdboc.c
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include <linux/vt_kern.h>
 #include <linux/input.h>
 #include <linux/module.h>
+#include <linux/platform_device.h>
 
 #define MAX_CONFIG_LEN		40
 
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ static struct kgdb_io		kgdboc_io_ops;
 
 /* -1 = init not run yet, 0 = unconfigured, 1 = configured. */
 static int configured		= -1;
+DEFINE_MUTEX(config_mutex);
 
 static char config[MAX_CONFIG_LEN];
 static struct kparam_string kps = {
@@ -38,6 +40,8 @@ static int kgdboc_use_kms;  /* 1 if we use kernel mode switching */
 static struct tty_driver	*kgdb_tty_driver;
 static int			kgdb_tty_line;
 
+static struct platform_device *kgdboc_pdev;
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_KDB_KEYBOARD
 static int kgdboc_reset_connect(struct input_handler *handler,
 				struct input_dev *dev,
@@ -133,11 +137,13 @@ static void kgdboc_unregister_kbd(void)
 
 static void cleanup_kgdboc(void)
 {
+	if (configured != 1)
+		return;
+
 	if (kgdb_unregister_nmi_console())
 		return;
 	kgdboc_unregister_kbd();
-	if (configured == 1)
-		kgdb_unregister_io_module(&kgdboc_io_ops);
+	kgdb_unregister_io_module(&kgdboc_io_ops);
 }
 
 static int configure_kgdboc(void)
@@ -200,20 +206,79 @@ static int configure_kgdboc(void)
 	kgdb_unregister_io_module(&kgdboc_io_ops);
 noconfig:
 	kgdboc_unregister_kbd();
-	config[0] = 0;
 	configured = 0;
-	cleanup_kgdboc();
 
 	return err;
 }
 
+static int kgdboc_probe(struct platform_device *pdev)
+{
+	int ret = 0;
+
+	mutex_lock(&config_mutex);
+	if (configured != 1) {
+		ret = configure_kgdboc();
+
+		/* Convert "no device" to "defer" so we'll keep trying */
+		if (ret == -ENODEV)
+			ret = -EPROBE_DEFER;
+	}
+	mutex_unlock(&config_mutex);
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
+static struct platform_driver kgdboc_platform_driver = {
+	.probe = kgdboc_probe,
+	.driver = {
+		.name = "kgdboc",
+		.suppress_bind_attrs = true,
+	},
+};
+
 static int __init init_kgdboc(void)
 {
-	/* Already configured? */
-	if (configured == 1)
+	int ret;
+
+	/*
+	 * kgdboc is a little bit of an odd "platform_driver".  It can be
+	 * up and running long before the platform_driver object is
+	 * created and thus doesn't actually store anything in it.  There's
+	 * only one instance of kgdb so anything is stored as global state.
+	 * The platform_driver is only created so that we can leverage the
+	 * kernel's mechanisms (like -EPROBE_DEFER) to call us when our
+	 * underlying tty is ready.  Here we init our platform driver and
+	 * then create the single kgdboc instance.
+	 */
+	ret = platform_driver_register(&kgdboc_platform_driver);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+
+	kgdboc_pdev = platform_device_alloc("kgdboc", PLATFORM_DEVID_NONE);
+	if (!kgdboc_pdev) {
+		ret = -ENOMEM;
+		goto err_did_register;
+	}
+
+	ret = platform_device_add(kgdboc_pdev);
+	if (!ret)
 		return 0;
 
-	return configure_kgdboc();
+	platform_device_put(kgdboc_pdev);
+
+err_did_register:
+	platform_driver_unregister(&kgdboc_platform_driver);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+static void exit_kgdboc(void)
+{
+	mutex_lock(&config_mutex);
+	cleanup_kgdboc();
+	mutex_unlock(&config_mutex);
+
+	platform_device_unregister(kgdboc_pdev);
+	platform_driver_unregister(&kgdboc_platform_driver);
 }
 
 static int kgdboc_get_char(void)
@@ -236,24 +301,20 @@ static int param_set_kgdboc_var(const char *kmessage,
 				const struct kernel_param *kp)
 {
 	size_t len = strlen(kmessage);
+	int ret = 0;
 
 	if (len >= MAX_CONFIG_LEN) {
 		pr_err("config string too long\n");
 		return -ENOSPC;
 	}
 
-	/* Only copy in the string if the init function has not run yet */
-	if (configured < 0) {
-		strcpy(config, kmessage);
-		return 0;
-	}
-
 	if (kgdb_connected) {
 		pr_err("Cannot reconfigure while KGDB is connected.\n");
-
 		return -EBUSY;
 	}
 
+	mutex_lock(&config_mutex);
+
 	strcpy(config, kmessage);
 	/* Chop out \n char as a result of echo */
 	if (len && config[len - 1] == '\n')
@@ -262,8 +323,30 @@ static int param_set_kgdboc_var(const char *kmessage,
 	if (configured == 1)
 		cleanup_kgdboc();
 
-	/* Go and configure with the new params. */
-	return configure_kgdboc();
+	/*
+	 * Configure with the new params as long as init already ran.
+	 * Note that we can get called before init if someone loads us
+	 * with "modprobe kgdboc kgdboc=..." or if they happen to use the
+	 * the odd syntax of "kgdboc.kgdboc=..." on the kernel command.
+	 */
+	if (configured >= 0)
+		ret = configure_kgdboc();
+
+	/*
+	 * If we couldn't configure then clear out the config.  Note that
+	 * specifying an invalid config on the kernel command line vs.
+	 * through sysfs have slightly different behaviors.  If we fail
+	 * to configure what was specified on the kernel command line
+	 * we'll leave it in the 'config' and return -EPROBE_DEFER from
+	 * our probe.  When specified through sysfs userspace is
+	 * responsible for loading the tty driver before setting up.
+	 */
+	if (ret)
+		config[0] = '\0';
+
+	mutex_unlock(&config_mutex);
+
+	return ret;
 }
 
 static int dbg_restore_graphics;
@@ -326,15 +409,8 @@ __setup("kgdboc=", kgdboc_option_setup);
 /* This is only available if kgdboc is a built in for early debugging */
 static int __init kgdboc_early_init(char *opt)
 {
-	/* save the first character of the config string because the
-	 * init routine can destroy it.
-	 */
-	char save_ch;
-
 	kgdboc_option_setup(opt);
-	save_ch = config[0];
-	init_kgdboc();
-	config[0] = save_ch;
+	configure_kgdboc();
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -342,7 +418,7 @@ early_param("ekgdboc", kgdboc_early_init);
 #endif /* CONFIG_KGDB_SERIAL_CONSOLE */
 
 module_init(init_kgdboc);
-module_exit(cleanup_kgdboc);
+module_exit(exit_kgdboc);
 module_param_call(kgdboc, param_set_kgdboc_var, param_get_string, &kps, 0644);
 MODULE_PARM_DESC(kgdboc, "<serial_device>[,baud]");
 MODULE_DESCRIPTION("KGDB Console TTY Driver");
