diff --git a/src/arch/ppc/lib/printk_init.c b/src/arch/ppc/lib/printk_init.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f1bc5c981f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/arch/ppc/lib/printk_init.c
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+/*
+ *  blantantly copied from linux/kernel/printk.c
+ *
+ *  Copyright (C) 1991, 1992  Linus Torvalds
+ *
+ */
+#include <stdarg.h>
+#include <console/loglevel.h>
+
+/* printk's without a loglevel use this.. */
+#define DEFAULT_MESSAGE_LOGLEVEL 4 /* BIOS_WARNING */
+
+/* Keep together for sysctl support */
+
+int console_loglevel = DEFAULT_CONSOLE_LOGLEVEL;
+
+extern int vtxprintf(void (*)(unsigned char), const char *, va_list);
+extern void uart8250_tx_byte(unsigned, unsigned char);
+
+void console_tx_byte(unsigned char byte)
+{
+	if (byte == '\n')
+		uart8250_tx_byte(UART0_IO_BASE, '\r');
+	uart8250_tx_byte(UART0_IO_BASE, byte);
+}
+
+int do_printk(int msg_level, const char *fmt, ...)
+{
+	va_list args;
+	int i;
+
+	if (msg_level >= console_loglevel) {
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	va_start(args, fmt);
+	i = vtxprintf(console_tx_byte, fmt, args);
+	va_end(args);
+
+	return i;
+}