diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_param.h b/drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_param.h
index f9fb56ec6dfd..dca86422b0a2 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_param.h
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_param.h
@@ -98,6 +98,12 @@ enum rxe_device_param {
 	RXE_INFLIGHT_SKBS_PER_QP_HIGH	= 64,
 	RXE_INFLIGHT_SKBS_PER_QP_LOW	= 16,
 
+	/* Max number of interations of each tasklet
+	 * before yielding the cpu to let other
+	 * work make progress
+	 */
+	RXE_MAX_ITERATIONS		= 1024,
+
 	/* Delay before calling arbiter timer */
 	RXE_NSEC_ARB_TIMER_DELAY	= 200,
 
diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_task.c b/drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_task.c
index 6951fdcb31bf..568cf56c236b 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_task.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/sw/rxe/rxe_task.c
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 #include <linux/interrupt.h>
 #include <linux/hardirq.h>
 
-#include "rxe_task.h"
+#include "rxe.h"
 
 int __rxe_do_task(struct rxe_task *task)
 
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ void rxe_do_task(struct tasklet_struct *t)
 	int ret;
 	unsigned long flags;
 	struct rxe_task *task = from_tasklet(task, t, tasklet);
+	unsigned int iterations = RXE_MAX_ITERATIONS;
 
 	spin_lock_irqsave(&task->state_lock, flags);
 	switch (task->state) {
@@ -62,13 +63,20 @@ void rxe_do_task(struct tasklet_struct *t)
 		spin_lock_irqsave(&task->state_lock, flags);
 		switch (task->state) {
 		case TASK_STATE_BUSY:
-			if (ret)
+			if (ret) {
 				task->state = TASK_STATE_START;
-			else
+			} else if (iterations--) {
 				cont = 1;
+			} else {
+				/* reschedule the tasklet and exit
+				 * the loop to give up the cpu
+				 */
+				tasklet_schedule(&task->tasklet);
+				task->state = TASK_STATE_START;
+			}
 			break;
 
-		/* soneone tried to run the task since the last time we called
+		/* someone tried to run the task since the last time we called
 		 * func, so we will call one more time regardless of the
 		 * return value
 		 */