diff --git a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c
index 2a248a3f2..b3d6e9494 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.c
@@ -1173,8 +1173,8 @@ eth_ixgbe_dev_init(struct rte_eth_dev *eth_dev, void *init_params __rte_unused)
 	memset(dcb_config, 0, sizeof(struct ixgbe_dcb_config));
 	ixgbe_dcb_init(hw, dcb_config);
 	/* Get Hardware Flow Control setting */
-	hw->fc.requested_mode = ixgbe_fc_full;
-	hw->fc.current_mode = ixgbe_fc_full;
+	hw->fc.requested_mode = ixgbe_fc_none;
+	hw->fc.current_mode = ixgbe_fc_none;
 	hw->fc.pause_time = IXGBE_FC_PAUSE;
 	for (i = 0; i < IXGBE_DCB_MAX_TRAFFIC_CLASS; i++) {
 		hw->fc.low_water[i] = IXGBE_FC_LO;
@@ -2533,6 +2533,39 @@ ixgbe_set_vf_rate_limit(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t vf,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int
+ixgbe_flow_ctrl_enable(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, struct ixgbe_hw *hw)
+{
+	struct ixgbe_adapter *adapter = dev->data->dev_private;
+	int err;
+	uint32_t mflcn;
+
+	err = ixgbe_fc_enable(hw);
+
+	/* Not negotiated is not an error case */
+	if (err == IXGBE_SUCCESS || err == IXGBE_ERR_FC_NOT_NEGOTIATED) {
+		/*
+		 *check if we want to forward MAC frames - driver doesn't
+		 *have native capability to do that,
+		 *so we'll write the registers ourselves
+		 */
+
+		mflcn = IXGBE_READ_REG(hw, IXGBE_MFLCN);
+
+		/* set or clear MFLCN.PMCF bit depending on configuration */
+		if (adapter->mac_ctrl_frame_fwd != 0)
+			mflcn |= IXGBE_MFLCN_PMCF;
+		else
+			mflcn &= ~IXGBE_MFLCN_PMCF;
+
+		IXGBE_WRITE_REG(hw, IXGBE_MFLCN, mflcn);
+		IXGBE_WRITE_FLUSH(hw);
+
+		return 0;
+	}
+	return err;
+}
+
 /*
  * Configure device link speed and setup link.
  * It returns 0 on success.
@@ -2659,6 +2692,12 @@ ixgbe_dev_start(struct rte_eth_dev *dev)
 
 	ixgbe_restore_statistics_mapping(dev);
 
+	err = ixgbe_flow_ctrl_enable(dev, hw);
+	if (err < 0) {
+		PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "enable flow ctrl err");
+		goto error;
+	}
+
 	err = ixgbe_dev_rxtx_start(dev);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "Unable to start rxtx queues");
@@ -2895,6 +2934,8 @@ ixgbe_dev_stop(struct rte_eth_dev *dev)
 
 	adapter->rss_reta_updated = 0;
 
+	adapter->mac_ctrl_frame_fwd = 0;
+
 	hw->adapter_stopped = true;
 }
 
@@ -4684,10 +4725,10 @@ static int
 ixgbe_flow_ctrl_set(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, struct rte_eth_fc_conf *fc_conf)
 {
 	struct ixgbe_hw *hw;
+	struct ixgbe_adapter *adapter = dev->data->dev_private;
 	int err;
 	uint32_t rx_buf_size;
 	uint32_t max_high_water;
-	uint32_t mflcn;
 	enum ixgbe_fc_mode rte_fcmode_2_ixgbe_fcmode[] = {
 		ixgbe_fc_none,
 		ixgbe_fc_rx_pause,
@@ -4720,31 +4761,14 @@ ixgbe_flow_ctrl_set(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, struct rte_eth_fc_conf *fc_conf)
 	hw->fc.low_water[0]   = fc_conf->low_water;
 	hw->fc.send_xon       = fc_conf->send_xon;
 	hw->fc.disable_fc_autoneg = !fc_conf->autoneg;
+	adapter->mac_ctrl_frame_fwd = fc_conf->mac_ctrl_frame_fwd;
 
-	err = ixgbe_fc_enable(hw);
-
-	/* Not negotiated is not an error case */
-	if ((err == IXGBE_SUCCESS) || (err == IXGBE_ERR_FC_NOT_NEGOTIATED)) {
-
-		/* check if we want to forward MAC frames - driver doesn't have native
-		 * capability to do that, so we'll write the registers ourselves */
-
-		mflcn = IXGBE_READ_REG(hw, IXGBE_MFLCN);
-
-		/* set or clear MFLCN.PMCF bit depending on configuration */
-		if (fc_conf->mac_ctrl_frame_fwd != 0)
-			mflcn |= IXGBE_MFLCN_PMCF;
-		else
-			mflcn &= ~IXGBE_MFLCN_PMCF;
-
-		IXGBE_WRITE_REG(hw, IXGBE_MFLCN, mflcn);
-		IXGBE_WRITE_FLUSH(hw);
-
-		return 0;
+	err = ixgbe_flow_ctrl_enable(dev, hw);
+	if (err < 0) {
+		PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "ixgbe_flow_ctrl_enable = 0x%x", err);
+		return -EIO;
 	}
-
-	PMD_INIT_LOG(ERR, "ixgbe_fc_enable = 0x%x", err);
-	return -EIO;
+	return err;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.h b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.h
index e1cd8fd16..d309813da 100644
--- a/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.h
+++ b/drivers/net/ixgbe/ixgbe_ethdev.h
@@ -511,6 +511,7 @@ struct ixgbe_adapter {
 	 * mailbox status) link status.
 	 */
 	uint8_t pflink_fullchk;
+	uint8_t mac_ctrl_frame_fwd;
 };
 
 struct ixgbe_vf_representor {
