return -EOPNOTSUPP;
 
        if (cmode == DEVLINK_PARAM_CMODE_DRIVERINIT) {
-               param_item->driverinit_value = value;
+               if (param->type == DEVLINK_PARAM_TYPE_STRING)
+                       strcpy(param_item->driverinit_value.vstr, value.vstr);
+               else
+                       param_item->driverinit_value = value;
                param_item->driverinit_value_valid = true;
        } else {
                if (!param->set)
                                              DEVLINK_PARAM_CMODE_DRIVERINIT))
                return -EOPNOTSUPP;
 
-       *init_val = param_item->driverinit_value;
+       if (param_item->param->type == DEVLINK_PARAM_TYPE_STRING)
+               strcpy(init_val->vstr, param_item->driverinit_value.vstr);
+       else
+               *init_val = param_item->driverinit_value;
 
        return 0;
 }
                                              DEVLINK_PARAM_CMODE_DRIVERINIT))
                return -EOPNOTSUPP;
 
-       param_item->driverinit_value = init_val;
+       if (param_item->param->type == DEVLINK_PARAM_TYPE_STRING)
+               strcpy(param_item->driverinit_value.vstr, init_val.vstr);
+       else
+               param_item->driverinit_value = init_val;
        param_item->driverinit_value_valid = true;
 
        devlink_param_notify(devlink, param_item, DEVLINK_CMD_PARAM_NEW);