}
 __setup("nmi_watchdog=", setup_nmi_watchdog);
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_SYSCTL
-/*
- * proc handler for /proc/sys/kernel/nmi_watchdog
- */
-int nmi_watchdog_enabled;
-
-int proc_nmi_enabled(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
-                    void __user *buffer, size_t *length, loff_t *ppos)
-{
-       int cpu;
-
-       if (!write) {
-               struct perf_event *event;
-               for_each_online_cpu(cpu) {
-                       event = per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, cpu);
-                       if (event->state > PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF) {
-                               nmi_watchdog_enabled = 1;
-                               break;
-                       }
-               }
-               proc_dointvec(table, write, buffer, length, ppos);
-               return 0;
-       }
-
-       if (per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, smp_processor_id()) == NULL) {
-               nmi_watchdog_enabled = 0;
-               proc_dointvec(table, write, buffer, length, ppos);
-               printk("NMI watchdog failed configuration, can not be enabled\n");
-               return 0;
-       }
-
-       touch_all_nmi_watchdog();
-       proc_dointvec(table, write, buffer, length, ppos);
-       if (nmi_watchdog_enabled)
-               for_each_online_cpu(cpu)
-                       perf_event_enable(per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, cpu));
-       else
-               for_each_online_cpu(cpu)
-                       perf_event_disable(per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, cpu));
-       return 0;
-}
-
-#endif /* CONFIG_SYSCTL */
-
 struct perf_event_attr wd_attr = {
        .type = PERF_TYPE_HARDWARE,
        .config = PERF_COUNT_HW_CPU_CYCLES,
        return;
 }
 
+static int enable_nmi_watchdog(int cpu)
+{
+       struct perf_event *event;
+
+       event = per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, cpu);
+       if (event && event->state > PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF)
+               return 0;
+
+       if (event == NULL) {
+               /* Try to register using hardware perf events first */
+               wd_attr.sample_period = hw_nmi_get_sample_period();
+               event = perf_event_create_kernel_counter(&wd_attr, cpu, -1, wd_overflow);
+               if (IS_ERR(event)) {
+                       wd_attr.type = PERF_TYPE_SOFTWARE;
+                       event = perf_event_create_kernel_counter(&wd_attr, cpu, -1, wd_overflow);
+                       if (IS_ERR(event)) {
+                               printk(KERN_ERR "nmi watchdog failed to create perf event on %i: %p\n", cpu, event);
+                               return -1;
+                       }
+               }
+               per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, cpu) = event;
+       }
+       perf_event_enable(per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, cpu));
+       return 0;
+}
+
+static void disable_nmi_watchdog(int cpu)
+{
+       struct perf_event *event;
+
+       event = per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, cpu);
+       if (event) {
+               perf_event_disable(per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, cpu));
+               per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, cpu) = NULL;
+               perf_event_release_kernel(event);
+       }
+}
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_SYSCTL
+/*
+ * proc handler for /proc/sys/kernel/nmi_watchdog
+ */
+int nmi_watchdog_enabled;
+
+int proc_nmi_enabled(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
+                    void __user *buffer, size_t *length, loff_t *ppos)
+{
+       int cpu;
+
+       if (!write) {
+               struct perf_event *event;
+               for_each_online_cpu(cpu) {
+                       event = per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, cpu);
+                       if (event && event->state > PERF_EVENT_STATE_OFF) {
+                               nmi_watchdog_enabled = 1;
+                               break;
+                       }
+               }
+               proc_dointvec(table, write, buffer, length, ppos);
+               return 0;
+       }
+
+       touch_all_nmi_watchdog();
+       proc_dointvec(table, write, buffer, length, ppos);
+       if (nmi_watchdog_enabled) {
+               for_each_online_cpu(cpu)
+                       if (enable_nmi_watchdog(cpu)) {
+                               printk("NMI watchdog failed configuration, "
+                                       " can not be enabled\n");
+                       }
+       } else {
+               for_each_online_cpu(cpu)
+                       disable_nmi_watchdog(cpu);
+       }
+       return 0;
+}
+
+#endif /* CONFIG_SYSCTL */
+
 /*
  * Create/destroy watchdog threads as CPUs come and go:
  */
 cpu_callback(struct notifier_block *nfb, unsigned long action, void *hcpu)
 {
        int hotcpu = (unsigned long)hcpu;
-       struct perf_event *event;
 
        switch (action) {
        case CPU_UP_PREPARE:
                break;
        case CPU_ONLINE:
        case CPU_ONLINE_FROZEN:
-               /* originally wanted the below chunk to be in CPU_UP_PREPARE, but caps is unpriv for non-CPU0 */
-               wd_attr.sample_period = hw_nmi_get_sample_period();
-               event = perf_event_create_kernel_counter(&wd_attr, hotcpu, -1, wd_overflow);
-               if (IS_ERR(event)) {
-                       wd_attr.type = PERF_TYPE_SOFTWARE;
-                       event = perf_event_create_kernel_counter(&wd_attr, hotcpu, -1, wd_overflow);
-                       if (IS_ERR(event)) {
-                               printk(KERN_ERR "nmi watchdog failed to create perf event on %i: %p\n", hotcpu, event);
-                               return NOTIFY_BAD;
-                       }
-               }
-               per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, hotcpu) = event;
-               perf_event_enable(per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, hotcpu));
+               if (enable_nmi_watchdog(hotcpu))
+                       return NOTIFY_BAD;
                break;
 #ifdef CONFIG_HOTPLUG_CPU
        case CPU_UP_CANCELED:
        case CPU_UP_CANCELED_FROZEN:
-               perf_event_disable(per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, hotcpu));
+               disable_nmi_watchdog(hotcpu);
        case CPU_DEAD:
        case CPU_DEAD_FROZEN:
-               event = per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, hotcpu);
-               per_cpu(nmi_watchdog_ev, hotcpu) = NULL;
-               perf_event_release_kernel(event);
                break;
 #endif /* CONFIG_HOTPLUG_CPU */
        }