diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atl1c/atl1c_hw.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atl1c/atl1c_hw.c
index 23f2ab0f2fa84148890d634b9fe935de75929a41..bd1667cbffa65f56482794e34cf953bca4bdf20b 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atl1c/atl1c_hw.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atl1c/atl1c_hw.c
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ int atl1c_read_mac_addr(struct atl1c_hw *hw)
 		random_ether_addr(hw->perm_mac_addr);
 
 	memcpy(hw->mac_addr, hw->perm_mac_addr, sizeof(hw->perm_mac_addr));
-	return 0;
+	return err;
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atl1c/atl1c_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atl1c/atl1c_main.c
index 2c8ed70704aa6287013c2a0986e9784ae2ebca51..ccdf1f6e2f9f0c5979c367fcd0736165b9b2cf89 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atl1c/atl1c_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atl1c/atl1c_main.c
@@ -468,6 +468,7 @@ static int atl1c_set_mac_addr(struct net_device *netdev, void *p)
 
 	memcpy(netdev->dev_addr, addr->sa_data, netdev->addr_len);
 	memcpy(adapter->hw.mac_addr, addr->sa_data, netdev->addr_len);
+	netdev->addr_assign_type &= ~NET_ADDR_RANDOM;
 
 	atl1c_hw_set_mac_addr(&adapter->hw);
 
@@ -2745,10 +2746,9 @@ static int __devinit atl1c_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 		err = -EIO;
 		goto err_reset;
 	}
-	if (atl1c_read_mac_addr(&adapter->hw) != 0) {
-		err = -EIO;
-		dev_err(&pdev->dev, "get mac address failed\n");
-		goto err_eeprom;
+	if (atl1c_read_mac_addr(&adapter->hw)) {
+		/* got a random MAC address, set NET_ADDR_RANDOM to netdev */
+		netdev->addr_assign_type |= NET_ADDR_RANDOM;
 	}
 	memcpy(netdev->dev_addr, adapter->hw.mac_addr, netdev->addr_len);
 	memcpy(netdev->perm_addr, adapter->hw.mac_addr, netdev->addr_len);
@@ -2773,7 +2773,6 @@ static int __devinit atl1c_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 err_reset:
 err_register:
 err_sw_init:
-err_eeprom:
 	iounmap(adapter->hw.hw_addr);
 err_init_netdev:
 err_ioremap:
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atlx/atl1.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atlx/atl1.c
index 9bd2049766480331e6a0f3355ac84174a822e9d5..40ac414365490b59ac1eacab9fbd11123af39f23 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atlx/atl1.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atlx/atl1.c
@@ -534,14 +534,17 @@ static int atl1_get_permanent_address(struct atl1_hw *hw)
  */
 static s32 atl1_read_mac_addr(struct atl1_hw *hw)
 {
+	s32 ret = 0;
 	u16 i;
 
-	if (atl1_get_permanent_address(hw))
+	if (atl1_get_permanent_address(hw)) {
 		random_ether_addr(hw->perm_mac_addr);
+		ret = 1;
+	}
 
 	for (i = 0; i < ETH_ALEN; i++)
 		hw->mac_addr[i] = hw->perm_mac_addr[i];
-	return 0;
+	return ret;
 }
 
 /*
@@ -3007,7 +3010,10 @@ static int __devinit atl1_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 	}
 
 	/* copy the MAC address out of the EEPROM */
-	atl1_read_mac_addr(&adapter->hw);
+	if (atl1_read_mac_addr(&adapter->hw)) {
+		/* mark random mac */
+		netdev->addr_assign_type |= NET_ADDR_RANDOM;
+	}
 	memcpy(netdev->dev_addr, adapter->hw.mac_addr, netdev->addr_len);
 
 	if (!is_valid_ether_addr(netdev->dev_addr)) {
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atlx/atlx.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atlx/atlx.c
index 8ff7411094d58d545b5845874adc164b54e7c07f..3cd8837236dc1de68727991cc399b6906e30d5c3 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atlx/atlx.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/atheros/atlx/atlx.c
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ static int atlx_set_mac(struct net_device *netdev, void *p)
 
 	memcpy(netdev->dev_addr, addr->sa_data, netdev->addr_len);
 	memcpy(adapter->hw.mac_addr, addr->sa_data, netdev->addr_len);
+	netdev->addr_assign_type &= ~NET_ADDR_RANDOM;
 
 	atlx_set_mac_addr(&adapter->hw);
 	return 0;