diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000/e1000_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000/e1000_main.c
index bcba9cfe3d03..4348b6fd44fa 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000/e1000_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000/e1000_main.c
@@ -217,7 +217,8 @@ MODULE_DESCRIPTION("Intel(R) PRO/1000 Network Driver");
 MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
 MODULE_VERSION(DRV_VERSION);
 
-static int debug = NETIF_MSG_DRV | NETIF_MSG_PROBE;
+#define DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE (NETIF_MSG_DRV|NETIF_MSG_PROBE|NETIF_MSG_LINK)
+static int debug = -1;
 module_param(debug, int, 0);
 MODULE_PARM_DESC(debug, "Debug level (0=none,...,16=all)");
 
@@ -981,7 +982,7 @@ static int __devinit e1000_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 	adapter = netdev_priv(netdev);
 	adapter->netdev = netdev;
 	adapter->pdev = pdev;
-	adapter->msg_enable = (1 << debug) - 1;
+	adapter->msg_enable = netif_msg_init(debug, DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE);
 	adapter->bars = bars;
 	adapter->need_ioport = need_ioport;
 
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000e/netdev.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000e/netdev.c
index 7152eb11b7b9..2c38a65ade87 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000e/netdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e1000e/netdev.c
@@ -60,6 +60,11 @@
 char e1000e_driver_name[] = "e1000e";
 const char e1000e_driver_version[] = DRV_VERSION;
 
+#define DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE (NETIF_MSG_DRV|NETIF_MSG_PROBE|NETIF_MSG_LINK)
+static int debug = -1;
+module_param(debug, int, 0);
+MODULE_PARM_DESC(debug, "Debug level (0=none,...,16=all)");
+
 static void e1000e_disable_aspm(struct pci_dev *pdev, u16 state);
 
 static const struct e1000_info *e1000_info_tbl[] = {
@@ -6172,7 +6177,7 @@ static int __devinit e1000_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 	adapter->hw.adapter = adapter;
 	adapter->hw.mac.type = ei->mac;
 	adapter->max_hw_frame_size = ei->max_hw_frame_size;
-	adapter->msg_enable = (1 << NETIF_MSG_DRV | NETIF_MSG_PROBE) - 1;
+	adapter->msg_enable = netif_msg_init(debug, DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE);
 
 	mmio_start = pci_resource_start(pdev, 0);
 	mmio_len = pci_resource_len(pdev, 0);
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igb/igb_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igb/igb_main.c
index c4902411d749..5ec31598ee47 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igb/igb_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igb/igb_main.c
@@ -238,6 +238,11 @@ MODULE_DESCRIPTION("Intel(R) Gigabit Ethernet Network Driver");
 MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
 MODULE_VERSION(DRV_VERSION);
 
+#define DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE (NETIF_MSG_DRV|NETIF_MSG_PROBE|NETIF_MSG_LINK)
+static int debug = -1;
+module_param(debug, int, 0);
+MODULE_PARM_DESC(debug, "Debug level (0=none,...,16=all)");
+
 struct igb_reg_info {
 	u32 ofs;
 	char *name;
@@ -1893,7 +1898,7 @@ static int __devinit igb_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 	adapter->pdev = pdev;
 	hw = &adapter->hw;
 	hw->back = adapter;
-	adapter->msg_enable = NETIF_MSG_DRV | NETIF_MSG_PROBE;
+	adapter->msg_enable = netif_msg_init(debug, DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE);
 
 	mmio_start = pci_resource_start(pdev, 0);
 	mmio_len = pci_resource_len(pdev, 0);
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igbvf/netdev.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igbvf/netdev.c
index 217c143686d2..d61ca2a732f0 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igbvf/netdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igbvf/netdev.c
@@ -55,6 +55,11 @@ static const char igbvf_driver_string[] =
 static const char igbvf_copyright[] =
 		  "Copyright (c) 2009 - 2012 Intel Corporation.";
 
+#define DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE (NETIF_MSG_DRV|NETIF_MSG_PROBE|NETIF_MSG_LINK)
+static int debug = -1;
+module_param(debug, int, 0);
+MODULE_PARM_DESC(debug, "Debug level (0=none,...,16=all)");
+
 static int igbvf_poll(struct napi_struct *napi, int budget);
 static void igbvf_reset(struct igbvf_adapter *);
 static void igbvf_set_interrupt_capability(struct igbvf_adapter *);
@@ -2649,7 +2654,7 @@ static int __devinit igbvf_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 	adapter->flags = ei->flags;
 	adapter->hw.back = adapter;
 	adapter->hw.mac.type = ei->mac;
-	adapter->msg_enable = (1 << NETIF_MSG_DRV | NETIF_MSG_PROBE) - 1;
+	adapter->msg_enable = netif_msg_init(debug, DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE);
 
 	/* PCI config space info */
 
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgb/ixgb_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgb/ixgb_main.c
index 82aaa792cbf3..5fce363d810a 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgb/ixgb_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgb/ixgb_main.c
@@ -134,8 +134,8 @@ MODULE_DESCRIPTION("Intel(R) PRO/10GbE Network Driver");
 MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
 MODULE_VERSION(DRV_VERSION);
 
-#define DEFAULT_DEBUG_LEVEL_SHIFT 3
-static int debug = DEFAULT_DEBUG_LEVEL_SHIFT;
+#define DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE (NETIF_MSG_DRV|NETIF_MSG_PROBE|NETIF_MSG_LINK)
+static int debug = -1;
 module_param(debug, int, 0);
 MODULE_PARM_DESC(debug, "Debug level (0=none,...,16=all)");
 
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ ixgb_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev, const struct pci_device_id *ent)
 	adapter->netdev = netdev;
 	adapter->pdev = pdev;
 	adapter->hw.back = adapter;
-	adapter->msg_enable = netif_msg_init(debug, DEFAULT_DEBUG_LEVEL_SHIFT);
+	adapter->msg_enable = netif_msg_init(debug, DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE);
 
 	adapter->hw.hw_addr = pci_ioremap_bar(pdev, BAR_0);
 	if (!adapter->hw.hw_addr) {
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
index 398fc223cab9..6dbad2b2d0b5 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbe/ixgbe_main.c
@@ -141,13 +141,16 @@ module_param(allow_unsupported_sfp, uint, 0);
 MODULE_PARM_DESC(allow_unsupported_sfp,
 		 "Allow unsupported and untested SFP+ modules on 82599-based adapters");
 
+#define DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE (NETIF_MSG_DRV|NETIF_MSG_PROBE|NETIF_MSG_LINK)
+static int debug = -1;
+module_param(debug, int, 0);
+MODULE_PARM_DESC(debug, "Debug level (0=none,...,16=all)");
+
 MODULE_AUTHOR("Intel Corporation, <linux.nics@intel.com>");
 MODULE_DESCRIPTION("Intel(R) 10 Gigabit PCI Express Network Driver");
 MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
 MODULE_VERSION(DRV_VERSION);
 
-#define DEFAULT_DEBUG_LEVEL_SHIFT 3
-
 static void ixgbe_service_event_schedule(struct ixgbe_adapter *adapter)
 {
 	if (!test_bit(__IXGBE_DOWN, &adapter->state) &&
@@ -6834,7 +6837,7 @@ static int __devinit ixgbe_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 	adapter->pdev = pdev;
 	hw = &adapter->hw;
 	hw->back = adapter;
-	adapter->msg_enable = (1 << DEFAULT_DEBUG_LEVEL_SHIFT) - 1;
+	adapter->msg_enable = netif_msg_init(debug, DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE);
 
 	hw->hw_addr = ioremap(pci_resource_start(pdev, 0),
 			      pci_resource_len(pdev, 0));
diff --git a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c
index 581c65976bb4..307611ae831d 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ixgbevf/ixgbevf_main.c
@@ -91,7 +91,10 @@ MODULE_DESCRIPTION("Intel(R) 82599 Virtual Function Driver");
 MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
 MODULE_VERSION(DRV_VERSION);
 
-#define DEFAULT_DEBUG_LEVEL_SHIFT 3
+#define DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE (NETIF_MSG_DRV|NETIF_MSG_PROBE|NETIF_MSG_LINK)
+static int debug = -1;
+module_param(debug, int, 0);
+MODULE_PARM_DESC(debug, "Debug level (0=none,...,16=all)");
 
 /* forward decls */
 static void ixgbevf_set_itr_msix(struct ixgbevf_q_vector *q_vector);
@@ -3367,7 +3370,7 @@ static int __devinit ixgbevf_probe(struct pci_dev *pdev,
 	adapter->pdev = pdev;
 	hw = &adapter->hw;
 	hw->back = adapter;
-	adapter->msg_enable = (1 << DEFAULT_DEBUG_LEVEL_SHIFT) - 1;
+	adapter->msg_enable = netif_msg_init(debug, DEFAULT_MSG_ENABLE);
 
 	/*
 	 * call save state here in standalone driver because it relies on