diff --git a/mm/bootmem.c b/mm/bootmem.c
index 9d0f266..d1c7a79 100644
--- a/mm/bootmem.c
+++ b/mm/bootmem.c
@@ -803,28 +803,6 @@
 
 }
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_SPARSEMEM
-/**
- * alloc_bootmem_section - allocate boot memory from a specific section
- * @size: size of the request in bytes
- * @section_nr: sparse map section to allocate from
- *
- * Return NULL on failure.
- */
-void * __init alloc_bootmem_section(unsigned long size,
-				    unsigned long section_nr)
-{
-	bootmem_data_t *bdata;
-	unsigned long pfn, goal;
-
-	pfn = section_nr_to_pfn(section_nr);
-	goal = pfn << PAGE_SHIFT;
-	bdata = &bootmem_node_data[early_pfn_to_nid(pfn)];
-
-	return alloc_bootmem_bdata(bdata, size, SMP_CACHE_BYTES, goal, 0);
-}
-#endif
-
 #ifndef ARCH_LOW_ADDRESS_LIMIT
 #define ARCH_LOW_ADDRESS_LIMIT	0xffffffffUL
 #endif
diff --git a/mm/nobootmem.c b/mm/nobootmem.c
index 9f40481..d23415c 100644
--- a/mm/nobootmem.c
+++ b/mm/nobootmem.c
@@ -355,28 +355,6 @@
 	return __alloc_bootmem_node(pgdat, size, align, goal);
 }
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_SPARSEMEM
-/**
- * alloc_bootmem_section - allocate boot memory from a specific section
- * @size: size of the request in bytes
- * @section_nr: sparse map section to allocate from
- *
- * Return NULL on failure.
- */
-void * __init alloc_bootmem_section(unsigned long size,
-				    unsigned long section_nr)
-{
-	unsigned long pfn, goal, limit;
-
-	pfn = section_nr_to_pfn(section_nr);
-	goal = pfn << PAGE_SHIFT;
-	limit = section_nr_to_pfn(section_nr + 1) << PAGE_SHIFT;
-
-	return __alloc_memory_core_early(early_pfn_to_nid(pfn), size,
-					 SMP_CACHE_BYTES, goal, limit);
-}
-#endif
-
 #ifndef ARCH_LOW_ADDRESS_LIMIT
 #define ARCH_LOW_ADDRESS_LIMIT	0xffffffffUL
 #endif
diff --git a/mm/sparse.c b/mm/sparse.c
index a8bc7d3..6a4bf91 100644
--- a/mm/sparse.c
+++ b/mm/sparse.c
@@ -273,10 +273,10 @@
 #ifdef CONFIG_MEMORY_HOTREMOVE
 static unsigned long * __init
 sparse_early_usemaps_alloc_pgdat_section(struct pglist_data *pgdat,
-					 unsigned long count)
+					 unsigned long size)
 {
-	unsigned long section_nr;
-
+	pg_data_t *host_pgdat;
+	unsigned long goal;
 	/*
 	 * A page may contain usemaps for other sections preventing the
 	 * page being freed and making a section unremovable while
@@ -287,8 +287,10 @@
 	 * from the same section as the pgdat where possible to avoid
 	 * this problem.
 	 */
-	section_nr = pfn_to_section_nr(__pa(pgdat) >> PAGE_SHIFT);
-	return alloc_bootmem_section(usemap_size() * count, section_nr);
+	goal = __pa(pgdat) & PAGE_SECTION_MASK;
+	host_pgdat = NODE_DATA(early_pfn_to_nid(goal >> PAGE_SHIFT));
+	return __alloc_bootmem_node_nopanic(host_pgdat, size,
+					    SMP_CACHE_BYTES, goal);
 }
 
 static void __init check_usemap_section_nr(int nid, unsigned long *usemap)
@@ -332,9 +334,9 @@
 #else
 static unsigned long * __init
 sparse_early_usemaps_alloc_pgdat_section(struct pglist_data *pgdat,
-					 unsigned long count)
+					 unsigned long size)
 {
-	return NULL;
+	return alloc_bootmem_node_nopanic(pgdat, size);
 }
 
 static void __init check_usemap_section_nr(int nid, unsigned long *usemap)
@@ -352,13 +354,10 @@
 	int size = usemap_size();
 
 	usemap = sparse_early_usemaps_alloc_pgdat_section(NODE_DATA(nodeid),
-								 usemap_count);
+							  size * usemap_count);
 	if (!usemap) {
-		usemap = alloc_bootmem_node(NODE_DATA(nodeid), size * usemap_count);
-		if (!usemap) {
-			printk(KERN_WARNING "%s: allocation failed\n", __func__);
-			return;
-		}
+		printk(KERN_WARNING "%s: allocation failed\n", __func__);
+		return;
 	}
 
 	for (pnum = pnum_begin; pnum < pnum_end; pnum++) {