--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/asm-mips/mips_machine.h
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+/*
+ *  Copyright (C) 2008 Gabor Juhos <juhosg@openwrt.org>
+ *
+ *  This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+ *  under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 as published
+ *  by the Free Software Foundation.
+ *
+ */
+
+#ifndef __ASM_MIPS_MACHINE_H
+#define __ASM_MIPS_MACHINE_H
+
+#include <linux/init.h>
+#include <linux/list.h>
+
+#include <asm/bootinfo.h>
+
+#define MIPS_MACHINE_NAME_LEN	64
+
+struct mips_machine {
+	unsigned long		mach_type;
+	void			(*mach_setup)(void);
+	unsigned char		mach_name[MIPS_MACHINE_NAME_LEN];
+	struct list_head	list;
+};
+
+void mips_machine_register(struct mips_machine *) __init;
+void mips_machine_setup(void) __init;
+
+extern unsigned char mips_machine_name[MIPS_MACHINE_NAME_LEN];
+
+#define MIPS_MACHINE(_type, _name, _setup) 			\
+static struct mips_machine machine_##_type __initdata =		\
+{								\
+	.mach_type	= _type,				\
+	.mach_name	= _name,				\
+	.mach_setup	= _setup,				\
+};								\
+								\
+static int __init register_machine_##_type(void)		\
+{								\
+	mips_machine_register(&machine_##_type);		\
+	return 0;						\
+}								\
+								\
+pure_initcall(register_machine_##_type)
+
+#endif /* __ASM_MIPS_MACHINE_H */
+
--- /dev/null
+++ b/arch/mips/kernel/mips_machine.c
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+/*
+ *  Copyright (C) 2008 Gabor Juhos <juhosg@openwrt.org>
+ *
+ *  This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+ *  under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 as published
+ *  by the Free Software Foundation.
+ *
+ */
+
+#include <asm/mips_machine.h>
+#include <asm/bootinfo.h>
+
+static struct list_head mips_machines __initdata =
+		LIST_HEAD_INIT(mips_machines);
+
+unsigned char mips_machine_name[MIPS_MACHINE_NAME_LEN] = "Unknown";
+
+static struct mips_machine * __init mips_machine_find(unsigned long machtype)
+{
+	struct list_head *this;
+
+	list_for_each(this, &mips_machines) {
+		struct mips_machine *mach;
+
+		mach = list_entry(this, struct mips_machine, list);
+		if (mach->mach_type == machtype)
+			return mach;
+	}
+
+	return NULL;
+}
+
+void __init mips_machine_register(struct mips_machine *mach)
+{
+	list_add_tail(&mach->list, &mips_machines);
+}
+
+void __init mips_machine_setup(void)
+{
+	struct mips_machine *mach;
+
+	mach = mips_machine_find(mips_machtype);
+	if (!mach) {
+		printk(KERN_ALERT "MIPS: no machine registered for "
+			"machtype %lu\n", mips_machtype);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	if (mach->mach_name[0])
+		strncpy(mips_machine_name, mach->mach_name,
+			MIPS_MACHINE_NAME_LEN);
+
+	printk(KERN_INFO "MIPS: machine is %s\n", mips_machine_name);
+
+	if (mach->mach_setup)
+		mach->mach_setup();
+}
+
--- a/arch/mips/kernel/Makefile
+++ b/arch/mips/kernel/Makefile
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@
 
 obj-$(CONFIG_KEXEC)		+= machine_kexec.o relocate_kernel.o
 obj-$(CONFIG_EARLY_PRINTK)	+= early_printk.o
+obj-$(CONFIG_MIPS_MACHINE)	+= mips_machine.o
 
 CFLAGS_cpu-bugs64.o	= $(shell if $(CC) $(KBUILD_CFLAGS) -Wa,-mdaddi -c -o /dev/null -xc /dev/null >/dev/null 2>&1; then echo "-DHAVE_AS_SET_DADDI"; fi)
 
--- a/arch/mips/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/mips/Kconfig
@@ -615,6 +615,7 @@
 
 endchoice
 
+source "arch/mips/ar71xx/Kconfig"
 source "arch/mips/au1000/Kconfig"
 source "arch/mips/basler/excite/Kconfig"
 source "arch/mips/jazz/Kconfig"
@@ -788,6 +789,9 @@
 config SYNC_R4K
 	bool
 
+config MIPS_MACHINE
+	def_bool n
+
 config NO_IOPORT
 	def_bool n