diff --git a/arch/blackfin/include/asm/dma.h b/arch/blackfin/include/asm/dma.h
index 9befcbae00b90d2e1a0e089f0de02e38a8059a3d..3aa4dd3e5fe80a18476b8532c5f942aa69dbba7b 100644
--- a/arch/blackfin/include/asm/dma.h
+++ b/arch/blackfin/include/asm/dma.h
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ typedef irqreturn_t(*dma_interrupt_t) (int irq, void *dev_id);
 
 struct dma_channel {
 	struct mutex dmalock;
-	char *device_id;
+	const char *device_id;
 	enum dma_chan_status chan_status;
 	struct dma_register *regs;
 	struct dmasg *sg;		/* large mode descriptor */
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ void free_dma(unsigned int channel);
 int dma_channel_active(unsigned int channel); /* check if a channel is in use */
 void disable_dma(unsigned int channel);
 void enable_dma(unsigned int channel);
-int request_dma(unsigned int channel, char *device_id);
+int request_dma(unsigned int channel, const char *device_id);
 int set_dma_callback(unsigned int channel, dma_interrupt_t callback,
 		     void *data);
 void dma_disable_irq(unsigned int channel);
diff --git a/arch/blackfin/kernel/bfin_dma_5xx.c b/arch/blackfin/kernel/bfin_dma_5xx.c
index 2625aa20a92cec8c0681f244b47c7f8f1ce9c2f1..22bce17bbb0209f13e5e2a83423262f09c3cffae 100644
--- a/arch/blackfin/kernel/bfin_dma_5xx.c
+++ b/arch/blackfin/kernel/bfin_dma_5xx.c
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ late_initcall(proc_dma_init);
 /*------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  *	Request the specific DMA channel from the system.
  *-----------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
-int request_dma(unsigned int channel, char *device_id)
+int request_dma(unsigned int channel, const char *device_id)
 {
 	pr_debug("request_dma() : BEGIN \n");