diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5.h b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5.h
index 2cb463b62..86310404a 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5.h
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5.h
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ int mlx5_vlan_offload_set(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, int mask);
 int mlx5_dev_start(struct rte_eth_dev *dev);
 void mlx5_dev_stop(struct rte_eth_dev *dev);
 int mlx5_traffic_enable(struct rte_eth_dev *dev);
-int mlx5_traffic_disable(struct rte_eth_dev *dev);
+void mlx5_traffic_disable(struct rte_eth_dev *dev);
 int mlx5_traffic_restart(struct rte_eth_dev *dev);
 
 /* mlx5_flow.c */
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ void mlx5_flow_delete_drop_queue(struct rte_eth_dev *dev);
 /* mlx5_socket.c */
 
 int mlx5_socket_init(struct rte_eth_dev *priv);
-int mlx5_socket_uninit(struct rte_eth_dev *priv);
+void mlx5_socket_uninit(struct rte_eth_dev *priv);
 void mlx5_socket_handle(struct rte_eth_dev *priv);
 int mlx5_socket_connect(struct rte_eth_dev *priv);
 
diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_mr.c b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_mr.c
index fe60dd132..5c4e68736 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_mr.c
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_mr.c
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ mlx5_mr_get(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, struct rte_mempool *mp)
  *   Pointer to memory region to release.
  *
  * @return
- *   0 on success, errno on failure.
+ *   1 while a reference on it exists, 0 when freed.
  */
 int
 mlx5_mr_release(struct mlx5_mr *mr)
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ mlx5_mr_release(struct mlx5_mr *mr)
 		rte_free(mr);
 		return 0;
 	}
-	return EBUSY;
+	return 1;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_rxq.c b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_rxq.c
index a3b08a1a3..8e7693df2 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_rxq.c
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_rxq.c
@@ -840,7 +840,7 @@ mlx5_rxq_ibv_get(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t idx)
  *   Verbs Rx queue object.
  *
  * @return
- *   0 on success, errno value on failure.
+ *   1 while a reference on it exists, 0 when freed.
  */
 int
 mlx5_rxq_ibv_release(struct mlx5_rxq_ibv *rxq_ibv)
@@ -867,7 +867,7 @@ mlx5_rxq_ibv_release(struct mlx5_rxq_ibv *rxq_ibv)
 		rte_free(rxq_ibv);
 		return 0;
 	}
-	return EBUSY;
+	return 1;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1074,7 +1074,7 @@ mlx5_rxq_get(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t idx)
  *   TX queue index.
  *
  * @return
- *   0 on success, errno value on failure.
+ *   1 while a reference on it exists, 0 when freed.
  */
 int
 mlx5_rxq_release(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t idx)
@@ -1086,13 +1086,8 @@ mlx5_rxq_release(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t idx)
 		return 0;
 	rxq_ctrl = container_of((*priv->rxqs)[idx], struct mlx5_rxq_ctrl, rxq);
 	assert(rxq_ctrl->priv);
-	if (rxq_ctrl->ibv) {
-		int ret;
-
-		ret = mlx5_rxq_ibv_release(rxq_ctrl->ibv);
-		if (!ret)
-			rxq_ctrl->ibv = NULL;
-	}
+	if (rxq_ctrl->ibv && !mlx5_rxq_ibv_release(rxq_ctrl->ibv))
+		rxq_ctrl->ibv = NULL;
 	DEBUG("%p: Rx queue %p: refcnt %d", (void *)dev,
 	      (void *)rxq_ctrl, rte_atomic32_read(&rxq_ctrl->refcnt));
 	if (rte_atomic32_dec_and_test(&rxq_ctrl->refcnt)) {
@@ -1101,7 +1096,7 @@ mlx5_rxq_release(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t idx)
 		(*priv->rxqs)[idx] = NULL;
 		return 0;
 	}
-	return EBUSY;
+	return 1;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1261,7 +1256,7 @@ mlx5_ind_table_ibv_get(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t queues[],
  *   Indirection table to release.
  *
  * @return
- *   0 on success, errno value on failure.
+ *   1 while a reference on it exists, 0 when freed.
  */
 int
 mlx5_ind_table_ibv_release(struct rte_eth_dev *dev,
@@ -1281,7 +1276,7 @@ mlx5_ind_table_ibv_release(struct rte_eth_dev *dev,
 		rte_free(ind_tbl);
 		return 0;
 	}
-	return EBUSY;
+	return 1;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1439,7 +1434,7 @@ mlx5_hrxq_get(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint8_t *rss_key, uint8_t rss_key_len,
  *   Pointer to Hash Rx queue to release.
  *
  * @return
- *   0 on success, errno value on failure.
+ *   1 while a reference on it exists, 0 when freed.
  */
 int
 mlx5_hrxq_release(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, struct mlx5_hrxq *hrxq)
@@ -1454,7 +1449,7 @@ mlx5_hrxq_release(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, struct mlx5_hrxq *hrxq)
 		return 0;
 	}
 	claim_nonzero(mlx5_ind_table_ibv_release(dev, hrxq->ind_table));
-	return EBUSY;
+	return 1;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_socket.c b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_socket.c
index b8f610df3..8db25cff1 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_socket.c
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_socket.c
@@ -82,11 +82,8 @@ mlx5_socket_init(struct rte_eth_dev *dev)
  *
  * @param[in] dev
  *   Pointer to Ethernet device.
- *
- * @return
- *   0 on success, errno value on failure.
  */
-int
+void
 mlx5_socket_uninit(struct rte_eth_dev *dev)
 {
 	struct priv *priv = dev->data->dev_private;
@@ -95,7 +92,6 @@ mlx5_socket_uninit(struct rte_eth_dev *dev)
 	claim_zero(close(priv->primary_socket));
 	priv->primary_socket = 0;
 	claim_zero(remove(path));
-	return 0;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_trigger.c b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_trigger.c
index 07226b864..a3ccebdd6 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_trigger.c
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_trigger.c
@@ -363,17 +363,13 @@ mlx5_traffic_enable(struct rte_eth_dev *dev)
  *
  * @param dev
  *   Pointer to Ethernet device private data.
- *
- * @return
- *   0 on success.
  */
-int
+void
 mlx5_traffic_disable(struct rte_eth_dev *dev)
 {
 	struct priv *priv = dev->data->dev_private;
 
 	mlx5_flow_list_flush(dev, &priv->ctrl_flows);
-	return 0;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_txq.c b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_txq.c
index 54ed972d7..dbf743397 100644
--- a/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_txq.c
+++ b/drivers/net/mlx5/mlx5_txq.c
@@ -572,7 +572,7 @@ mlx5_txq_ibv_get(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t idx)
  *   Verbs Tx queue object.
  *
  * @return
- *   0 on success, errno on failure.
+ *   1 while a reference on it exists, 0 when freed.
  */
 int
 mlx5_txq_ibv_release(struct mlx5_txq_ibv *txq_ibv)
@@ -587,7 +587,7 @@ mlx5_txq_ibv_release(struct mlx5_txq_ibv *txq_ibv)
 		rte_free(txq_ibv);
 		return 0;
 	}
-	return EBUSY;
+	return 1;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -824,7 +824,7 @@ mlx5_txq_get(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t idx)
  *   TX queue index.
  *
  * @return
- *   0 on success, errno on failure.
+ *   1 while a reference on it exists, 0 when freed.
  */
 int
 mlx5_txq_release(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t idx)
@@ -839,13 +839,8 @@ mlx5_txq_release(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t idx)
 	txq = container_of((*priv->txqs)[idx], struct mlx5_txq_ctrl, txq);
 	DEBUG("%p: Tx queue %p: refcnt %d", (void *)dev,
 	      (void *)txq, rte_atomic32_read(&txq->refcnt));
-	if (txq->ibv) {
-		int ret;
-
-		ret = mlx5_txq_ibv_release(txq->ibv);
-		if (!ret)
-			txq->ibv = NULL;
-	}
+	if (txq->ibv && mlx5_txq_ibv_release(txq->ibv))
+		txq->ibv = NULL;
 	for (i = 0; i != MLX5_PMD_TX_MP_CACHE; ++i) {
 		if (txq->txq.mp2mr[i]) {
 			mlx5_mr_release(txq->txq.mp2mr[i]);
@@ -862,7 +857,7 @@ mlx5_txq_release(struct rte_eth_dev *dev, uint16_t idx)
 		(*priv->txqs)[idx] = NULL;
 		return 0;
 	}
-	return EBUSY;
+	return 1;
 }
 
 /**
