diff --git a/arch/x86/kernel/smpboot.c b/arch/x86/kernel/smpboot.c
index 851477f7d728..177ac98f5721 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kernel/smpboot.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kernel/smpboot.c
@@ -204,6 +204,10 @@ static void smp_callin(void)
 
 	wmb();
 
+	/*
+	 * This runs the AP through all the cpuhp states to its target
+	 * state (CPUHP_ONLINE in the case of serial bringup).
+	 */
 	notify_cpu_starting(cpuid);
 
 	/*
@@ -231,17 +235,33 @@ static void notrace start_secondary(void *unused)
 	load_cr3(swapper_pg_dir);
 	__flush_tlb_all();
 #endif
+	/*
+	 * Sync point with do_wait_cpu_initialized(). Before proceeding through
+	 * cpu_init(), the AP will call wait_for_master_cpu() which sets its
+	 * own bit in cpu_initialized_mask and then waits for the BSP to set
+	 * its bit in cpu_callout_mask to release it.
+	 */
 	cpu_init_secondary();
 	rcu_cpu_starting(raw_smp_processor_id());
 	x86_cpuinit.early_percpu_clock_init();
+
+	/*
+	 * Sync point with do_wait_cpu_callin(). The AP doesn't wait here
+	 * but just sets the bit to let the controlling CPU (BSP) know that
+	 * it's got this far. The notify_cpu_starting() function is called
+	 * from smp_callin(), which advances the AP state to CPUHP_AP_ONLINE.
+	 */
 	smp_callin();
 
 	enable_start_cpu0 = 0;
 
 	/* otherwise gcc will move up smp_processor_id before the cpu_init */
 	barrier();
+
 	/*
-	 * Check TSC synchronization with the boot CPU:
+	 * Check TSC synchronization with the boot CPU (or whichever CPU
+	 * is controlling the bringup). It will do its part of this from
+	 * do_wait_cpu_online(), making it an implicit sync point.
 	 */
 	check_tsc_sync_target();
 
@@ -254,6 +274,7 @@ static void notrace start_secondary(void *unused)
 	 * half valid vector space.
 	 */
 	lock_vector_lock();
+	/* Sync point with do_wait_cpu_online() */
 	set_cpu_online(smp_processor_id(), true);
 	lapic_online();
 	unlock_vector_lock();
@@ -1081,7 +1102,6 @@ static int do_boot_cpu(int apicid, int cpu, struct task_struct *idle,
 	unsigned long start_ip = real_mode_header->trampoline_start;
 
 	unsigned long boot_error = 0;
-	unsigned long timeout;
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_X86_64
 	/* If 64-bit wakeup method exists, use the 64-bit mode trampoline IP */
@@ -1147,55 +1167,94 @@ static int do_boot_cpu(int apicid, int cpu, struct task_struct *idle,
 		boot_error = wakeup_cpu_via_init_nmi(cpu, start_ip, apicid,
 						     cpu0_nmi_registered);
 
-	if (!boot_error) {
-		/*
-		 * Wait 10s total for first sign of life from AP
-		 */
-		boot_error = -1;
-		timeout = jiffies + 10*HZ;
-		while (time_before(jiffies, timeout)) {
-			if (cpumask_test_cpu(cpu, cpu_initialized_mask)) {
-				/*
-				 * Tell AP to proceed with initialization
-				 */
-				cpumask_set_cpu(cpu, cpu_callout_mask);
-				boot_error = 0;
-				break;
-			}
-			schedule();
-		}
-	}
+	return boot_error;
+}
 
-	if (!boot_error) {
-		/*
-		 * Wait till AP completes initial initialization
-		 */
-		while (!cpumask_test_cpu(cpu, cpu_callin_mask)) {
-			/*
-			 * Allow other tasks to run while we wait for the
-			 * AP to come online. This also gives a chance
-			 * for the MTRR work(triggered by the AP coming online)
-			 * to be completed in the stop machine context.
-			 */
-			schedule();
-		}
+static int do_wait_cpu_cpumask(unsigned int cpu, const struct cpumask *mask)
+{
+	unsigned long timeout;
+
+	/*
+	 * Wait up to 10s for the CPU to report in.
+	 */
+	timeout = jiffies + 10*HZ;
+	while (time_before(jiffies, timeout)) {
+		if (cpumask_test_cpu(cpu, mask))
+			return 0;
+
+		schedule();
 	}
+	return -1;
+}
 
-	if (x86_platform.legacy.warm_reset) {
-		/*
-		 * Cleanup possible dangling ends...
-		 */
-		smpboot_restore_warm_reset_vector();
+/*
+ * Bringup step two: Wait for the target AP to reach cpu_init_secondary()
+ * and thus wait_for_master_cpu(), then set cpu_callout_mask to allow it
+ * to proceed.  The AP will then proceed past setting its 'callin' bit
+ * and end up waiting in check_tsc_sync_target() until we reach
+ * do_wait_cpu_online() to tend to it.
+ */
+static int do_wait_cpu_initialized(unsigned int cpu)
+{
+	/*
+	 * Wait for first sign of life from AP.
+	 */
+	if (do_wait_cpu_cpumask(cpu, cpu_initialized_mask))
+		return -1;
+
+	cpumask_set_cpu(cpu, cpu_callout_mask);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Bringup step three: Wait for the target AP to reach smp_callin().
+ * The AP is not waiting for us here so we don't need to parallelise
+ * this step. Not entirely clear why we care about this, since we just
+ * proceed directly to TSC synchronization which is the next sync
+ * point with the AP anyway.
+ */
+static int do_wait_cpu_callin(unsigned int cpu)
+{
+	/*
+	 * Wait till AP completes initial initialization.
+	 */
+	return do_wait_cpu_cpumask(cpu, cpu_callin_mask);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Bringup step four: Synchronize the TSC and wait for the target AP
+ * to reach set_cpu_online() in start_secondary().
+ */
+static int do_wait_cpu_online(unsigned int cpu)
+{
+	unsigned long flags;
+
+	/*
+	 * Check TSC synchronization with the AP (keep irqs disabled
+	 * while doing so):
+	 */
+	local_irq_save(flags);
+	check_tsc_sync_source(cpu);
+	local_irq_restore(flags);
+
+	/*
+	 * Wait for the AP to mark itself online. Not entirely
+	 * clear why we care, since the generic cpuhp code will
+	 * wait for it to each CPUHP_AP_ONLINE_IDLE before going
+	 * ahead with the rest of the bringup anyway.
+	 */
+	while (!cpu_online(cpu)) {
+		cpu_relax();
+		touch_nmi_watchdog();
 	}
 
-	return boot_error;
+	return 0;
 }
 
-int native_cpu_up(unsigned int cpu, struct task_struct *tidle)
+static int do_cpu_up(unsigned int cpu, struct task_struct *tidle)
 {
 	int apicid = apic->cpu_present_to_apicid(cpu);
 	int cpu0_nmi_registered = 0;
-	unsigned long flags;
 	int err, ret = 0;
 
 	lockdep_assert_irqs_enabled();
@@ -1242,19 +1301,6 @@ int native_cpu_up(unsigned int cpu, struct task_struct *tidle)
 		goto unreg_nmi;
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * Check TSC synchronization with the AP (keep irqs disabled
-	 * while doing so):
-	 */
-	local_irq_save(flags);
-	check_tsc_sync_source(cpu);
-	local_irq_restore(flags);
-
-	while (!cpu_online(cpu)) {
-		cpu_relax();
-		touch_nmi_watchdog();
-	}
-
 unreg_nmi:
 	/*
 	 * Clean up the nmi handler. Do this after the callin and callout sync
@@ -1266,6 +1312,32 @@ int native_cpu_up(unsigned int cpu, struct task_struct *tidle)
 	return ret;
 }
 
+int native_cpu_up(unsigned int cpu, struct task_struct *tidle)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = do_cpu_up(cpu, tidle);
+	if (ret)
+		goto out;
+
+	ret = do_wait_cpu_initialized(cpu);
+	if (ret)
+		goto out;
+
+	ret = do_wait_cpu_callin(cpu);
+	if (ret)
+		goto out;
+
+	ret = do_wait_cpu_online(cpu);
+
+ out:
+	/* Cleanup possible dangling ends... */
+	if (x86_platform.legacy.warm_reset)
+		smpboot_restore_warm_reset_vector();
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
 /**
  * arch_disable_smp_support() - disables SMP support for x86 at runtime
  */
