diff --git a/net/ipv4/devinet.c b/net/ipv4/devinet.c
index 84bed40273a..25c8a42965d 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/devinet.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/devinet.c
@@ -165,9 +165,8 @@ struct in_device *inetdev_init(struct net_device *dev)
 			      NET_IPV4_NEIGH, "ipv4", NULL, NULL);
 #endif
 
-	/* Account for reference dev->ip_ptr */
+	/* Account for reference dev->ip_ptr (below) */
 	in_dev_hold(in_dev);
-	rcu_assign_pointer(dev->ip_ptr, in_dev);
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_SYSCTL
 	devinet_sysctl_register(in_dev, &in_dev->cnf);
@@ -176,6 +175,8 @@ struct in_device *inetdev_init(struct net_device *dev)
 	if (dev->flags & IFF_UP)
 		ip_mc_up(in_dev);
 out:
+	/* we can receive as soon as ip_ptr is set -- do this last */
+	rcu_assign_pointer(dev->ip_ptr, in_dev);
 	return in_dev;
 out_kfree:
 	kfree(in_dev);
diff --git a/net/ipv6/addrconf.c b/net/ipv6/addrconf.c
index 9b0a9064315..171e5b55d7d 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/addrconf.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/addrconf.c
@@ -413,8 +413,6 @@ static struct inet6_dev * ipv6_add_dev(struct net_device *dev)
 	if (netif_carrier_ok(dev))
 		ndev->if_flags |= IF_READY;
 
-	/* protected by rtnl_lock */
-	rcu_assign_pointer(dev->ip6_ptr, ndev);
 
 	ipv6_mc_init_dev(ndev);
 	ndev->tstamp = jiffies;
@@ -425,6 +423,8 @@ static struct inet6_dev * ipv6_add_dev(struct net_device *dev)
 			      NULL);
 	addrconf_sysctl_register(ndev, &ndev->cnf);
 #endif
+	/* protected by rtnl_lock */
+	rcu_assign_pointer(dev->ip6_ptr, ndev);
 	return ndev;
 }