diff --git a/arch/blackfin/kernel/setup.c b/arch/blackfin/kernel/setup.c
index fafaccb321fa..c494495af40d 100644
--- a/arch/blackfin/kernel/setup.c
+++ b/arch/blackfin/kernel/setup.c
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ void __init bf53x_relocate_l1_mem(void)
 
 	l1_code_length = _etext_l1 - _stext_l1;
 	if (l1_code_length > L1_CODE_LENGTH)
-		l1_code_length = L1_CODE_LENGTH;
+		panic("L1 Instruction SRAM Overflow\n");
 	/* cannot complain as printk is not available as yet.
 	 * But we can continue booting and complain later!
 	 */
@@ -117,14 +117,14 @@ void __init bf53x_relocate_l1_mem(void)
 
 	l1_data_a_length = _ebss_l1 - _sdata_l1;
 	if (l1_data_a_length > L1_DATA_A_LENGTH)
-		l1_data_a_length = L1_DATA_A_LENGTH;
+		panic("L1 Data SRAM Bank A Overflow\n");
 
 	/* Copy _sdata_l1 to _ebss_l1 to L1 data bank A SRAM */
 	dma_memcpy(_sdata_l1, _l1_lma_start + l1_code_length, l1_data_a_length);
 
 	l1_data_b_length = _ebss_b_l1 - _sdata_b_l1;
 	if (l1_data_b_length > L1_DATA_B_LENGTH)
-		l1_data_b_length = L1_DATA_B_LENGTH;
+		panic("L1 Data SRAM Bank B Overflow\n");
 
 	/* Copy _sdata_b_l1 to _ebss_b_l1 to L1 data bank B SRAM */
 	dma_memcpy(_sdata_b_l1, _l1_lma_start + l1_code_length +
diff --git a/arch/blackfin/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S b/arch/blackfin/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
index 7a1200328aca..288dfdbfb611 100644
--- a/arch/blackfin/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
+++ b/arch/blackfin/kernel/vmlinux.lds.S
@@ -83,6 +83,11 @@ SECTIONS
 		. = ALIGN(32);
 		*(.data.cacheline_aligned)
 
+#if !L1_DATA_A_LENGTH
+		. = ALIGN(32);
+		*(.data_l1.cacheline_aligned)
+#endif
+
 		DATA_DATA
 		*(.data.*)
 		CONSTRUCTORS