diff --git a/drivers/base/node.c b/drivers/base/node.c
index 1211794d658c..bdff237f4167 100644
--- a/drivers/base/node.c
+++ b/drivers/base/node.c
@@ -455,20 +455,14 @@ int register_mem_sect_under_node(struct memory_block *mem_blk, void *arg)
 
 /*
  * Unregister memory block device under all nodes that it spans.
+ * Has to be called with mem_sysfs_mutex held (due to unlinked_nodes).
  */
-int unregister_memory_block_under_nodes(struct memory_block *mem_blk)
+void unregister_memory_block_under_nodes(struct memory_block *mem_blk)
 {
-	NODEMASK_ALLOC(nodemask_t, unlinked_nodes, GFP_KERNEL);
 	unsigned long pfn, sect_start_pfn, sect_end_pfn;
+	static nodemask_t unlinked_nodes;
 
-	if (!mem_blk) {
-		NODEMASK_FREE(unlinked_nodes);
-		return -EFAULT;
-	}
-	if (!unlinked_nodes)
-		return -ENOMEM;
-	nodes_clear(*unlinked_nodes);
-
+	nodes_clear(unlinked_nodes);
 	sect_start_pfn = section_nr_to_pfn(mem_blk->start_section_nr);
 	sect_end_pfn = section_nr_to_pfn(mem_blk->end_section_nr);
 	for (pfn = sect_start_pfn; pfn <= sect_end_pfn; pfn++) {
@@ -479,15 +473,13 @@ int unregister_memory_block_under_nodes(struct memory_block *mem_blk)
 			continue;
 		if (!node_online(nid))
 			continue;
-		if (node_test_and_set(nid, *unlinked_nodes))
+		if (node_test_and_set(nid, unlinked_nodes))
 			continue;
 		sysfs_remove_link(&node_devices[nid]->dev.kobj,
 			 kobject_name(&mem_blk->dev.kobj));
 		sysfs_remove_link(&mem_blk->dev.kobj,
 			 kobject_name(&node_devices[nid]->dev.kobj));
 	}
-	NODEMASK_FREE(unlinked_nodes);
-	return 0;
 }
 
 int link_mem_sections(int nid, unsigned long start_pfn, unsigned long end_pfn)
diff --git a/include/linux/node.h b/include/linux/node.h
index 9a6db437f2d1..708939bae9aa 100644
--- a/include/linux/node.h
+++ b/include/linux/node.h
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ extern int register_cpu_under_node(unsigned int cpu, unsigned int nid);
 extern int unregister_cpu_under_node(unsigned int cpu, unsigned int nid);
 extern int register_mem_sect_under_node(struct memory_block *mem_blk,
 						void *arg);
-extern int unregister_memory_block_under_nodes(struct memory_block *mem_blk);
+extern void unregister_memory_block_under_nodes(struct memory_block *mem_blk);
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_HUGETLBFS
 extern void register_hugetlbfs_with_node(node_registration_func_t doregister,
@@ -104,9 +104,8 @@ static inline int register_mem_sect_under_node(struct memory_block *mem_blk,
 {
 	return 0;
 }
-static inline int unregister_memory_block_under_nodes(struct memory_block *mem_blk)
+static inline void unregister_memory_block_under_nodes(struct memory_block *mem_blk)
 {
-	return 0;
 }
 
 static inline void register_hugetlbfs_with_node(node_registration_func_t reg,