diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/cn23xx_pf_device.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/cn23xx_pf_device.c
index fbc0d4e008f3..f6c0bad78cd4 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/cn23xx_pf_device.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/cn23xx_pf_device.c
@@ -1442,8 +1442,19 @@ int cn23xx_fw_loaded(struct octeon_device *oct)
 {
 	u64 val;
 
-	val = octeon_read_csr64(oct, CN23XX_SLI_SCRATCH1);
-	return (val >> 1) & 1ULL;
+	/* If there's more than one active PF on this NIC, then that
+	 * implies that the NIC firmware is loaded and running.  This check
+	 * prevents a rare false negative that might occur if we only relied
+	 * on checking the SCR2_BIT_FW_LOADED flag.  The false negative would
+	 * happen if the PF driver sees SCR2_BIT_FW_LOADED as cleared even
+	 * though the firmware was already loaded but still booting and has yet
+	 * to set SCR2_BIT_FW_LOADED.
+	 */
+	if (atomic_read(oct->adapter_refcount) > 1)
+		return 1;
+
+	val = octeon_read_csr64(oct, CN23XX_SLI_SCRATCH2);
+	return (val >> SCR2_BIT_FW_LOADED) & 1ULL;
 }
 
 void cn23xx_tell_vf_its_macaddr_changed(struct octeon_device *oct, int vfidx,
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/lio_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/lio_main.c
index c2360fe8cef2..e7f54948173f 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/lio_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/lio_main.c
@@ -4125,12 +4125,6 @@ static int octeon_device_init(struct octeon_device *octeon_dev)
 			dev_err(&octeon_dev->pci_dev->dev, "Could not load firmware to board\n");
 			return 1;
 		}
-		/* set bit 1 of SLI_SCRATCH_1 to indicate that firmware is
-		 * loaded
-		 */
-		if (OCTEON_CN23XX_PF(octeon_dev))
-			octeon_write_csr64(octeon_dev, CN23XX_SLI_SCRATCH1,
-					   2ULL);
 	}
 
 	handshake[octeon_dev->octeon_id].init_ok = 1;
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/liquidio_common.h b/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/liquidio_common.h
index d0076c191cee..3788c8cd082a 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/liquidio_common.h
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/cavium/liquidio/liquidio_common.h
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 #define LIQUIDIO_PACKAGE ""
 #define LIQUIDIO_BASE_MAJOR_VERSION 1
 #define LIQUIDIO_BASE_MINOR_VERSION 6
-#define LIQUIDIO_BASE_MICRO_VERSION 0
+#define LIQUIDIO_BASE_MICRO_VERSION 1
 #define LIQUIDIO_BASE_VERSION   __stringify(LIQUIDIO_BASE_MAJOR_VERSION) "." \
 				__stringify(LIQUIDIO_BASE_MINOR_VERSION)
 #define LIQUIDIO_MICRO_VERSION  "." __stringify(LIQUIDIO_BASE_MICRO_VERSION)
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@ enum octeon_tag_type {
 #define MAX_IOQ_INTERRUPTS_PER_PF   (64 * 2)
 #define MAX_IOQ_INTERRUPTS_PER_VF   (8 * 2)
 
+#define SCR2_BIT_FW_LOADED	    63
 
 static inline u32 incr_index(u32 index, u32 count, u32 max)
 {