diff --git a/include/linux/kernel.h b/include/linux/kernel.h
index e40c950e1d62..4824f26a0dc2 100644
--- a/include/linux/kernel.h
+++ b/include/linux/kernel.h
@@ -372,13 +372,18 @@ extern const char hex_asc[];
 #define hex_asc_lo(x)	hex_asc[((x) & 0x0f)]
 #define hex_asc_hi(x)	hex_asc[((x) & 0xf0) >> 4]
 
-static inline char *pack_hex_byte(char *buf, u8 byte)
+static inline char *hex_byte_pack(char *buf, u8 byte)
 {
 	*buf++ = hex_asc_hi(byte);
 	*buf++ = hex_asc_lo(byte);
 	return buf;
 }
 
+static inline char * __deprecated pack_hex_byte(char *buf, u8 byte)
+{
+	return hex_byte_pack(buf, byte);
+}
+
 extern int hex_to_bin(char ch);
 extern int __must_check hex2bin(u8 *dst, const char *src, size_t count);
 
diff --git a/lib/vsprintf.c b/lib/vsprintf.c
index c1a3927326eb..993599e66e5a 100644
--- a/lib/vsprintf.c
+++ b/lib/vsprintf.c
@@ -547,7 +547,7 @@ char *mac_address_string(char *buf, char *end, u8 *addr,
 	}
 
 	for (i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
-		p = pack_hex_byte(p, addr[i]);
+		p = hex_byte_pack(p, addr[i]);
 		if (fmt[0] == 'M' && i != 5)
 			*p++ = separator;
 	}
@@ -667,13 +667,13 @@ char *ip6_compressed_string(char *p, const char *addr)
 		lo = word & 0xff;
 		if (hi) {
 			if (hi > 0x0f)
-				p = pack_hex_byte(p, hi);
+				p = hex_byte_pack(p, hi);
 			else
 				*p++ = hex_asc_lo(hi);
-			p = pack_hex_byte(p, lo);
+			p = hex_byte_pack(p, lo);
 		}
 		else if (lo > 0x0f)
-			p = pack_hex_byte(p, lo);
+			p = hex_byte_pack(p, lo);
 		else
 			*p++ = hex_asc_lo(lo);
 		needcolon = true;
@@ -695,8 +695,8 @@ char *ip6_string(char *p, const char *addr, const char *fmt)
 	int i;
 
 	for (i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
-		p = pack_hex_byte(p, *addr++);
-		p = pack_hex_byte(p, *addr++);
+		p = hex_byte_pack(p, *addr++);
+		p = hex_byte_pack(p, *addr++);
 		if (fmt[0] == 'I' && i != 7)
 			*p++ = ':';
 	}
@@ -754,7 +754,7 @@ char *uuid_string(char *buf, char *end, const u8 *addr,
 	}
 
 	for (i = 0; i < 16; i++) {
-		p = pack_hex_byte(p, addr[index[i]]);
+		p = hex_byte_pack(p, addr[index[i]]);
 		switch (i) {
 		case 3:
 		case 5: