if ((link_info->support_auto_speeds | diff) !=
            link_info->support_auto_speeds) {
                /* An advertised speed is no longer supported, so we need to
-                * update the advertisement settings.  See bnxt_reset() for
-                * comments about the rtnl_lock() sequence below.
+                * update the advertisement settings.  Caller holds RTNL
+                * so we can modify link settings.
                 */
-               clear_bit(BNXT_STATE_IN_SP_TASK, &bp->state);
-               rtnl_lock();
                link_info->advertising = link_info->support_auto_speeds;
-               if (test_bit(BNXT_STATE_OPEN, &bp->state) &&
-                   (link_info->autoneg & BNXT_AUTONEG_SPEED))
+               if (link_info->autoneg & BNXT_AUTONEG_SPEED)
                        bnxt_hwrm_set_link_setting(bp, true, false);
-               set_bit(BNXT_STATE_IN_SP_TASK, &bp->state);
-               rtnl_unlock();
        }
        return 0;
 }
 static void bnxt_sp_task(struct work_struct *work)
 {
        struct bnxt *bp = container_of(work, struct bnxt, sp_task);
-       int rc;
 
        set_bit(BNXT_STATE_IN_SP_TASK, &bp->state);
        smp_mb__after_atomic();
 
        if (test_and_clear_bit(BNXT_RX_NTP_FLTR_SP_EVENT, &bp->sp_event))
                bnxt_cfg_ntp_filters(bp);
-       if (test_and_clear_bit(BNXT_LINK_CHNG_SP_EVENT, &bp->sp_event)) {
-               if (test_and_clear_bit(BNXT_LINK_SPEED_CHNG_SP_EVENT,
-                                      &bp->sp_event))
-                       bnxt_hwrm_phy_qcaps(bp);
-
-               rc = bnxt_update_link(bp, true);
-               if (rc)
-                       netdev_err(bp->dev, "SP task can't update link (rc: %x)\n",
-                                  rc);
-       }
        if (test_and_clear_bit(BNXT_HWRM_EXEC_FWD_REQ_SP_EVENT, &bp->sp_event))
                bnxt_hwrm_exec_fwd_req(bp);
        if (test_and_clear_bit(BNXT_VXLAN_ADD_PORT_SP_EVENT, &bp->sp_event)) {
        /* These functions below will clear BNXT_STATE_IN_SP_TASK.  They
         * must be the last functions to be called before exiting.
         */
+       if (test_and_clear_bit(BNXT_LINK_CHNG_SP_EVENT, &bp->sp_event)) {
+               int rc = 0;
+
+               if (test_and_clear_bit(BNXT_LINK_SPEED_CHNG_SP_EVENT,
+                                      &bp->sp_event))
+                       bnxt_hwrm_phy_qcaps(bp);
+
+               bnxt_rtnl_lock_sp(bp);
+               if (test_bit(BNXT_STATE_OPEN, &bp->state))
+                       rc = bnxt_update_link(bp, true);
+               bnxt_rtnl_unlock_sp(bp);
+               if (rc)
+                       netdev_err(bp->dev, "SP task can't update link (rc: %x)\n",
+                                  rc);
+       }
        if (test_and_clear_bit(BNXT_RESET_TASK_SP_EVENT, &bp->sp_event))
                bnxt_reset(bp, false);