diff --git a/net/smc/smc_core.c b/net/smc/smc_core.c
index e286b3c8c962..2e965de7412d 100644
--- a/net/smc/smc_core.c
+++ b/net/smc/smc_core.c
@@ -45,18 +45,10 @@ static struct smc_lgr_list smc_lgr_list = {	/* established link groups */
 static atomic_t lgr_cnt = ATOMIC_INIT(0); /* number of existing link groups */
 static DECLARE_WAIT_QUEUE_HEAD(lgrs_deleted);
 
-struct smc_ib_up_work {
-	struct work_struct	work;
-	struct smc_link_group	*lgr;
-	struct smc_ib_device	*smcibdev;
-	u8			ibport;
-};
-
 static void smc_buf_free(struct smc_link_group *lgr, bool is_rmb,
 			 struct smc_buf_desc *buf_desc);
 static void __smc_lgr_terminate(struct smc_link_group *lgr, bool soft);
 
-static void smc_link_up_work(struct work_struct *work);
 static void smc_link_down_work(struct work_struct *work);
 
 /* return head of link group list and its lock for a given link group */
@@ -1106,67 +1098,23 @@ static void smc_conn_abort_work(struct work_struct *work)
 	sock_put(&smc->sk); /* sock_hold done by schedulers of abort_work */
 }
 
-/* link is up - establish alternate link if applicable */
-static void smcr_link_up(struct smc_link_group *lgr,
-			 struct smc_ib_device *smcibdev, u8 ibport)
-{
-	struct smc_link *link = NULL;
-
-	if (list_empty(&lgr->list) ||
-	    lgr->type == SMC_LGR_SYMMETRIC ||
-	    lgr->type == SMC_LGR_ASYMMETRIC_PEER)
-		return;
-
-	if (lgr->role == SMC_SERV) {
-		/* trigger local add link processing */
-		link = smc_llc_usable_link(lgr);
-		if (!link)
-			return;
-		smc_llc_srv_add_link_local(link);
-	} else {
-		/* invite server to start add link processing */
-		u8 gid[SMC_GID_SIZE];
-
-		if (smc_ib_determine_gid(smcibdev, ibport, lgr->vlan_id, gid,
-					 NULL))
-			return;
-		if (lgr->llc_flow_lcl.type != SMC_LLC_FLOW_NONE) {
-			/* some other llc task is ongoing */
-			wait_event_timeout(lgr->llc_flow_waiter,
-				(list_empty(&lgr->list) ||
-				 lgr->llc_flow_lcl.type == SMC_LLC_FLOW_NONE),
-				SMC_LLC_WAIT_TIME);
-		}
-		/* lgr or device no longer active? */
-		if (!list_empty(&lgr->list) &&
-		    smc_ib_port_active(smcibdev, ibport))
-			link = smc_llc_usable_link(lgr);
-		if (link)
-			smc_llc_send_add_link(link, smcibdev->mac[ibport - 1],
-					      gid, NULL, SMC_LLC_REQ);
-		wake_up(&lgr->llc_flow_waiter);	/* wake up next waiter */
-	}
-}
-
 void smcr_port_add(struct smc_ib_device *smcibdev, u8 ibport)
 {
-	struct smc_ib_up_work *ib_work;
 	struct smc_link_group *lgr, *n;
 
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(lgr, n, &smc_lgr_list.list, list) {
+		struct smc_link *link;
+
 		if (strncmp(smcibdev->pnetid[ibport - 1], lgr->pnet_id,
 			    SMC_MAX_PNETID_LEN) ||
 		    lgr->type == SMC_LGR_SYMMETRIC ||
 		    lgr->type == SMC_LGR_ASYMMETRIC_PEER)
 			continue;
-		ib_work = kmalloc(sizeof(*ib_work), GFP_KERNEL);
-		if (!ib_work)
-			continue;
-		INIT_WORK(&ib_work->work, smc_link_up_work);
-		ib_work->lgr = lgr;
-		ib_work->smcibdev = smcibdev;
-		ib_work->ibport = ibport;
-		schedule_work(&ib_work->work);
+
+		/* trigger local add link processing */
+		link = smc_llc_usable_link(lgr);
+		if (link)
+			smc_llc_add_link_local(link);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1249,20 +1197,6 @@ void smcr_port_err(struct smc_ib_device *smcibdev, u8 ibport)
 	}
 }
 
-static void smc_link_up_work(struct work_struct *work)
-{
-	struct smc_ib_up_work *ib_work = container_of(work,
-						      struct smc_ib_up_work,
-						      work);
-	struct smc_link_group *lgr = ib_work->lgr;
-
-	if (list_empty(&lgr->list))
-		goto out;
-	smcr_link_up(lgr, ib_work->smcibdev, ib_work->ibport);
-out:
-	kfree(ib_work);
-}
-
 static void smc_link_down_work(struct work_struct *work)
 {
 	struct smc_link *link = container_of(work, struct smc_link,
diff --git a/net/smc/smc_llc.c b/net/smc/smc_llc.c
index 78704f03e72a..30da040ab5b6 100644
--- a/net/smc/smc_llc.c
+++ b/net/smc/smc_llc.c
@@ -895,6 +895,36 @@ out:
 	return rc;
 }
 
+/* as an SMC client, invite server to start the add_link processing */
+static void smc_llc_cli_add_link_invite(struct smc_link *link,
+					struct smc_llc_qentry *qentry)
+{
+	struct smc_link_group *lgr = smc_get_lgr(link);
+	struct smc_init_info ini;
+
+	if (lgr->type == SMC_LGR_SYMMETRIC ||
+	    lgr->type == SMC_LGR_ASYMMETRIC_PEER)
+		goto out;
+
+	ini.vlan_id = lgr->vlan_id;
+	smc_pnet_find_alt_roce(lgr, &ini, link->smcibdev);
+	if (!ini.ib_dev)
+		goto out;
+
+	smc_llc_send_add_link(link, ini.ib_dev->mac[ini.ib_port - 1],
+			      ini.ib_gid, NULL, SMC_LLC_REQ);
+out:
+	kfree(qentry);
+}
+
+static bool smc_llc_is_local_add_link(union smc_llc_msg *llc)
+{
+	if (llc->raw.hdr.common.type == SMC_LLC_ADD_LINK &&
+	    !llc->add_link.qp_mtu && !llc->add_link.link_num)
+		return true;
+	return false;
+}
+
 static void smc_llc_process_cli_add_link(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
 {
 	struct smc_llc_qentry *qentry;
@@ -902,7 +932,10 @@ static void smc_llc_process_cli_add_link(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
 	qentry = smc_llc_flow_qentry_clr(&lgr->llc_flow_lcl);
 
 	mutex_lock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
-	smc_llc_cli_add_link(qentry->link, qentry);
+	if (smc_llc_is_local_add_link(&qentry->msg))
+		smc_llc_cli_add_link_invite(qentry->link, qentry);
+	else
+		smc_llc_cli_add_link(qentry->link, qentry);
 	mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 }
 
@@ -1160,14 +1193,14 @@ static void smc_llc_process_srv_add_link(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
 	mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
 }
 
-/* enqueue a local add_link req to trigger a new add_link flow, only as SERV */
-void smc_llc_srv_add_link_local(struct smc_link *link)
+/* enqueue a local add_link req to trigger a new add_link flow */
+void smc_llc_add_link_local(struct smc_link *link)
 {
 	struct smc_llc_msg_add_link add_llc = {0};
 
 	add_llc.hd.length = sizeof(add_llc);
 	add_llc.hd.common.type = SMC_LLC_ADD_LINK;
-	/* no dev and port needed, we as server ignore client data anyway */
+	/* no dev and port needed */
 	smc_llc_enqueue(link, (union smc_llc_msg *)&add_llc);
 }
 
@@ -1347,7 +1380,7 @@ static void smc_llc_process_srv_delete_link(struct smc_link_group *lgr)
 
 	if (lgr->type == SMC_LGR_SINGLE && !list_empty(&lgr->list)) {
 		/* trigger setup of asymm alt link */
-		smc_llc_srv_add_link_local(lnk);
+		smc_llc_add_link_local(lnk);
 	}
 out:
 	mutex_unlock(&lgr->llc_conf_mutex);
@@ -1476,7 +1509,18 @@ static void smc_llc_event_handler(struct smc_llc_qentry *qentry)
 		if (list_empty(&lgr->list))
 			goto out;	/* lgr is terminating */
 		if (lgr->role == SMC_CLNT) {
-			if (lgr->llc_flow_lcl.type == SMC_LLC_FLOW_ADD_LINK) {
+			if (smc_llc_is_local_add_link(llc)) {
+				if (lgr->llc_flow_lcl.type ==
+				    SMC_LLC_FLOW_ADD_LINK)
+					break;	/* add_link in progress */
+				if (smc_llc_flow_start(&lgr->llc_flow_lcl,
+						       qentry)) {
+					schedule_work(&lgr->llc_add_link_work);
+				}
+				return;
+			}
+			if (lgr->llc_flow_lcl.type == SMC_LLC_FLOW_ADD_LINK &&
+			    !lgr->llc_flow_lcl.qentry) {
 				/* a flow is waiting for this message */
 				smc_llc_flow_qentry_set(&lgr->llc_flow_lcl,
 							qentry);
diff --git a/net/smc/smc_llc.h b/net/smc/smc_llc.h
index a5d2fe3eea61..cc00a2ec4e92 100644
--- a/net/smc/smc_llc.h
+++ b/net/smc/smc_llc.h
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ void smc_llc_send_link_delete_all(struct smc_link_group *lgr, bool ord,
 				  u32 rsn);
 int smc_llc_cli_add_link(struct smc_link *link, struct smc_llc_qentry *qentry);
 int smc_llc_srv_add_link(struct smc_link *link);
-void smc_llc_srv_add_link_local(struct smc_link *link);
+void smc_llc_add_link_local(struct smc_link *link);
 int smc_llc_init(void) __init;
 
 #endif /* SMC_LLC_H */