diff --git a/include/net/ax25.h b/include/net/ax25.h
index d81bfb674906..aadff553e4b7 100644
--- a/include/net/ax25.h
+++ b/include/net/ax25.h
@@ -291,10 +291,12 @@ static __inline__ void ax25_cb_put(ax25_cb *ax25)
 	}
 }
 
-#define ax25_dev_hold(__ax25_dev) \
-	refcount_inc(&((__ax25_dev)->refcount))
+static inline void ax25_dev_hold(ax25_dev *ax25_dev)
+{
+	refcount_inc(&ax25_dev->refcount);
+}
 
-static __inline__ void ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev *ax25_dev)
+static inline void ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev *ax25_dev)
 {
 	if (refcount_dec_and_test(&ax25_dev->refcount)) {
 		kfree(ax25_dev);
diff --git a/net/ax25/af_ax25.c b/net/ax25/af_ax25.c
index 954196ef7788..f8c39ccd03bb 100644
--- a/net/ax25/af_ax25.c
+++ b/net/ax25/af_ax25.c
@@ -366,21 +366,25 @@ static int ax25_ctl_ioctl(const unsigned int cmd, void __user *arg)
 	if (copy_from_user(&ax25_ctl, arg, sizeof(ax25_ctl)))
 		return -EFAULT;
 
-	if ((ax25_dev = ax25_addr_ax25dev(&ax25_ctl.port_addr)) == NULL)
-		return -ENODEV;
-
 	if (ax25_ctl.digi_count > AX25_MAX_DIGIS)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	if (ax25_ctl.arg > ULONG_MAX / HZ && ax25_ctl.cmd != AX25_KILL)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
+	ax25_dev = ax25_addr_ax25dev(&ax25_ctl.port_addr);
+	if (!ax25_dev)
+		return -ENODEV;
+
 	digi.ndigi = ax25_ctl.digi_count;
 	for (k = 0; k < digi.ndigi; k++)
 		digi.calls[k] = ax25_ctl.digi_addr[k];
 
-	if ((ax25 = ax25_find_cb(&ax25_ctl.source_addr, &ax25_ctl.dest_addr, &digi, ax25_dev->dev)) == NULL)
+	ax25 = ax25_find_cb(&ax25_ctl.source_addr, &ax25_ctl.dest_addr, &digi, ax25_dev->dev);
+	if (!ax25) {
+		ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 		return -ENOTCONN;
+	}
 
 	switch (ax25_ctl.cmd) {
 	case AX25_KILL:
diff --git a/net/ax25/ax25_dev.c b/net/ax25/ax25_dev.c
index 2c845ff1d036..d2e0cc67d91a 100644
--- a/net/ax25/ax25_dev.c
+++ b/net/ax25/ax25_dev.c
@@ -85,8 +85,8 @@ void ax25_dev_device_up(struct net_device *dev)
 	spin_lock_bh(&ax25_dev_lock);
 	ax25_dev->next = ax25_dev_list;
 	ax25_dev_list  = ax25_dev;
-	ax25_dev_hold(ax25_dev);
 	spin_unlock_bh(&ax25_dev_lock);
+	ax25_dev_hold(ax25_dev);
 
 	ax25_register_dev_sysctl(ax25_dev);
 }
@@ -115,8 +115,8 @@ void ax25_dev_device_down(struct net_device *dev)
 
 	if ((s = ax25_dev_list) == ax25_dev) {
 		ax25_dev_list = s->next;
-		ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 		spin_unlock_bh(&ax25_dev_lock);
+		ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 		dev->ax25_ptr = NULL;
 		dev_put(dev);
 		ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@ void ax25_dev_device_down(struct net_device *dev)
 	while (s != NULL && s->next != NULL) {
 		if (s->next == ax25_dev) {
 			s->next = ax25_dev->next;
-			ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 			spin_unlock_bh(&ax25_dev_lock);
+			ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 			dev->ax25_ptr = NULL;
 			dev_put(dev);
 			ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
@@ -150,25 +150,35 @@ int ax25_fwd_ioctl(unsigned int cmd, struct ax25_fwd_struct *fwd)
 
 	switch (cmd) {
 	case SIOCAX25ADDFWD:
-		if ((fwd_dev = ax25_addr_ax25dev(&fwd->port_to)) == NULL)
+		fwd_dev = ax25_addr_ax25dev(&fwd->port_to);
+		if (!fwd_dev) {
+			ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 			return -EINVAL;
-		if (ax25_dev->forward != NULL)
+		}
+		if (ax25_dev->forward) {
+			ax25_dev_put(fwd_dev);
+			ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 			return -EINVAL;
+		}
 		ax25_dev->forward = fwd_dev->dev;
 		ax25_dev_put(fwd_dev);
+		ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 		break;
 
 	case SIOCAX25DELFWD:
-		if (ax25_dev->forward == NULL)
+		if (!ax25_dev->forward) {
+			ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 			return -EINVAL;
+		}
 		ax25_dev->forward = NULL;
+		ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 		break;
 
 	default:
+		ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}
 
-	ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/net/ax25/ax25_route.c b/net/ax25/ax25_route.c
index 1e32693833e5..9751207f7757 100644
--- a/net/ax25/ax25_route.c
+++ b/net/ax25/ax25_route.c
@@ -75,11 +75,13 @@ static int __must_check ax25_rt_add(struct ax25_routes_struct *route)
 	ax25_dev *ax25_dev;
 	int i;
 
-	if ((ax25_dev = ax25_addr_ax25dev(&route->port_addr)) == NULL)
-		return -EINVAL;
 	if (route->digi_count > AX25_MAX_DIGIS)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
+	ax25_dev = ax25_addr_ax25dev(&route->port_addr);
+	if (!ax25_dev)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
 	write_lock_bh(&ax25_route_lock);
 
 	ax25_rt = ax25_route_list;
@@ -91,6 +93,7 @@ static int __must_check ax25_rt_add(struct ax25_routes_struct *route)
 			if (route->digi_count != 0) {
 				if ((ax25_rt->digipeat = kmalloc(sizeof(ax25_digi), GFP_ATOMIC)) == NULL) {
 					write_unlock_bh(&ax25_route_lock);
+					ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 					return -ENOMEM;
 				}
 				ax25_rt->digipeat->lastrepeat = -1;
@@ -101,6 +104,7 @@ static int __must_check ax25_rt_add(struct ax25_routes_struct *route)
 				}
 			}
 			write_unlock_bh(&ax25_route_lock);
+			ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 			return 0;
 		}
 		ax25_rt = ax25_rt->next;
@@ -108,6 +112,7 @@ static int __must_check ax25_rt_add(struct ax25_routes_struct *route)
 
 	if ((ax25_rt = kmalloc(sizeof(ax25_route), GFP_ATOMIC)) == NULL) {
 		write_unlock_bh(&ax25_route_lock);
+		ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
@@ -116,11 +121,11 @@ static int __must_check ax25_rt_add(struct ax25_routes_struct *route)
 	ax25_rt->dev          = ax25_dev->dev;
 	ax25_rt->digipeat     = NULL;
 	ax25_rt->ip_mode      = ' ';
-	ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 	if (route->digi_count != 0) {
 		if ((ax25_rt->digipeat = kmalloc(sizeof(ax25_digi), GFP_ATOMIC)) == NULL) {
 			write_unlock_bh(&ax25_route_lock);
 			kfree(ax25_rt);
+			ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 			return -ENOMEM;
 		}
 		ax25_rt->digipeat->lastrepeat = -1;
@@ -133,6 +138,7 @@ static int __must_check ax25_rt_add(struct ax25_routes_struct *route)
 	ax25_rt->next   = ax25_route_list;
 	ax25_route_list = ax25_rt;
 	write_unlock_bh(&ax25_route_lock);
+	ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -173,8 +179,8 @@ static int ax25_rt_del(struct ax25_routes_struct *route)
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 	write_unlock_bh(&ax25_route_lock);
+	ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -216,8 +222,8 @@ static int ax25_rt_opt(struct ax25_route_opt_struct *rt_option)
 	}
 
 out:
-	ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 	write_unlock_bh(&ax25_route_lock);
+	ax25_dev_put(ax25_dev);
 	return err;
 }