--- a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
+++ b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
@@ -4,6 +4,18 @@
 #define LOAD_OFFSET 0
 #endif
 
+#ifndef SYMTAB_KEEP_STR
+#define SYMTAB_KEEP_STR *(__ksymtab_strings.*)
+#endif
+
+#ifndef SYMTAB_KEEP
+#define SYMTAB_KEEP *(__ksymtab.*)
+#endif
+
+#ifndef SYMTAB_KEEP_GPL
+#define SYMTAB_KEEP_GPL *(__ksymtab_gpl.*)
+#endif
+
 #ifndef VMLINUX_SYMBOL
 #define VMLINUX_SYMBOL(_sym_) _sym_
 #endif
@@ -176,35 +188,35 @@
 	/* Kernel symbol table: Normal symbols */			\
 	__ksymtab         : AT(ADDR(__ksymtab) - LOAD_OFFSET) {		\
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__start___ksymtab) = .;			\
-		*(__ksymtab)						\
+		SYMTAB_KEEP						\
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__stop___ksymtab) = .;			\
 	}								\
 									\
 	/* Kernel symbol table: GPL-only symbols */			\
 	__ksymtab_gpl     : AT(ADDR(__ksymtab_gpl) - LOAD_OFFSET) {	\
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__start___ksymtab_gpl) = .;		\
-		*(__ksymtab_gpl)					\
+		SYMTAB_KEEP_GPL						\
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__stop___ksymtab_gpl) = .;		\
 	}								\
 									\
 	/* Kernel symbol table: Normal unused symbols */		\
 	__ksymtab_unused  : AT(ADDR(__ksymtab_unused) - LOAD_OFFSET) {	\
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__start___ksymtab_unused) = .;		\
-		*(__ksymtab_unused)					\
+		*(__ksymtab_unused.*)					\
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__stop___ksymtab_unused) = .;		\
 	}								\
 									\
 	/* Kernel symbol table: GPL-only unused symbols */		\
 	__ksymtab_unused_gpl : AT(ADDR(__ksymtab_unused_gpl) - LOAD_OFFSET) { \
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__start___ksymtab_unused_gpl) = .;	\
-		*(__ksymtab_unused_gpl)					\
+		*(__ksymtab_unused_gpl.*)				\
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__stop___ksymtab_unused_gpl) = .;	\
 	}								\
 									\
 	/* Kernel symbol table: GPL-future-only symbols */		\
 	__ksymtab_gpl_future : AT(ADDR(__ksymtab_gpl_future) - LOAD_OFFSET) { \
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__start___ksymtab_gpl_future) = .;	\
-		*(__ksymtab_gpl_future)					\
+		*(__ksymtab_gpl_future.*)				\
 		VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__stop___ksymtab_gpl_future) = .;	\
 	}								\
 									\
@@ -245,7 +257,13 @@
 									\
 	/* Kernel symbol table: strings */				\
         __ksymtab_strings : AT(ADDR(__ksymtab_strings) - LOAD_OFFSET) {	\
-		*(__ksymtab_strings)					\
+		SYMTAB_KEEP_STR						\
+	}								\
+									\
+	/DISCARD/ : {							\
+		*(__ksymtab.*)						\
+		*(__ksymtab_gpl.*)					\
+		*(__ksymtab_strings.*)					\
 	}								\
 									\
 	/* __*init sections */						\
--- a/include/linux/module.h
+++ b/include/linux/module.h
@@ -187,16 +187,24 @@ void *__symbol_get_gpl(const char *symbo
 #define __CRC_SYMBOL(sym, sec)
 #endif
 
+#ifdef MODULE
+#define __EXPORT_SUFFIX(sym)
+#else
+#define __EXPORT_SUFFIX(sym) "." #sym
+#endif
+
 /* For every exported symbol, place a struct in the __ksymtab section */
 #define __EXPORT_SYMBOL(sym, sec)				\
 	extern typeof(sym) sym;					\
 	__CRC_SYMBOL(sym, sec)					\
 	static const char __kstrtab_##sym[]			\
-	__attribute__((section("__ksymtab_strings"), aligned(1))) \
+	__attribute__((section("__ksymtab_strings"		\
+	  __EXPORT_SUFFIX(sym)), aligned(1)))			\
 	= MODULE_SYMBOL_PREFIX #sym;                    	\
 	static const struct kernel_symbol __ksymtab_##sym	\
 	__used							\
-	__attribute__((section("__ksymtab" sec), unused))	\
+	__attribute__((section("__ksymtab" sec			\
+	  __EXPORT_SUFFIX(sym)), unused))			\
 	= { (unsigned long)&sym, __kstrtab_##sym }
 
 #define EXPORT_SYMBOL(sym)					\
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -994,7 +994,7 @@ prepare: prepare0
 # Leave this as default for preprocessing vmlinux.lds.S, which is now
 # done in arch/$(ARCH)/kernel/Makefile
 
-export CPPFLAGS_vmlinux.lds += -P -C -U$(ARCH)
+export CPPFLAGS_vmlinux.lds += -P -C -U$(ARCH) $(EXTRA_LDSFLAGS)
 
 # The asm symlink changes when $(ARCH) changes.
 # Detect this and ask user to run make mrproper