diff --git a/arch/nios2/dts/3c120_devboard.dts b/arch/nios2/dts/3c120_devboard.dts
index 02524ab..7f76328 100644
--- a/arch/nios2/dts/3c120_devboard.dts
+++ b/arch/nios2/dts/3c120_devboard.dts
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@
 				reg = <0x00004d50 0x00000008>;
 				interrupt-parent = <&cpu>;
 				interrupts = <1>;
+				u-boot,dm-pre-reloc;
 			};
 
 			tse_mac: ethernet@0x4000 {
@@ -147,6 +148,10 @@
 		};
 	};
 
+	aliases {
+		console = &jtag_uart;
+	};
+
 	chosen {
 		bootargs = "debug console=ttyJ0,115200";
 	};
diff --git a/configs/nios2-generic_defconfig b/configs/nios2-generic_defconfig
index 9c1bec5..9dc6a72 100644
--- a/configs/nios2-generic_defconfig
+++ b/configs/nios2-generic_defconfig
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 CONFIG_NIOS2=y
+CONFIG_DM_SERIAL=y
 CONFIG_TARGET_NIOS2_GENERIC=y
 CONFIG_DEFAULT_DEVICE_TREE="3c120_devboard"
 CONFIG_HUSH_PARSER=y
@@ -14,3 +15,5 @@ CONFIG_CMD_PING=y
 CONFIG_OF_CONTROL=y
 CONFIG_NET_RANDOM_ETHADDR=y
 CONFIG_DM=y
+CONFIG_ALTERA_JTAG_UART=y
+CONFIG_ALTERA_JTAG_UART_BYPASS=y
diff --git a/drivers/serial/Kconfig b/drivers/serial/Kconfig
index ccb80d2..5a8cb3a 100644
--- a/drivers/serial/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/serial/Kconfig
@@ -109,6 +109,19 @@ config DEBUG_UART_SHIFT
 	  value. Use this value to specify the shift to use, where 0=byte
 	  registers, 2=32-bit word registers, etc.
 
+config ALTERA_JTAG_UART
+	bool "Altera JTAG UART support"
+	depends on NIOS2 && DM_SERIAL
+	help
+	  Select this to enable an JTAG UART for Altera devices.
+
+config ALTERA_JTAG_UART_BYPASS
+	bool "Bypass output when no connection"
+	depends on ALTERA_JTAG_UART
+	help
+	  Bypass console output and keep going even if there is no
+	  JTAG terminal connection with the host.
+
 config ROCKCHIP_SERIAL
 	bool "Rockchip on-chip UART support"
 	depends on ARCH_UNIPHIER && DM_SERIAL
diff --git a/drivers/serial/altera_jtag_uart.c b/drivers/serial/altera_jtag_uart.c
index 9a81402..2c025bc 100644
--- a/drivers/serial/altera_jtag_uart.c
+++ b/drivers/serial/altera_jtag_uart.c
@@ -6,98 +6,123 @@
  */
 
 #include <common.h>
-#include <watchdog.h>
+#include <dm.h>
+#include <errno.h>
 #include <asm/io.h>
 #include <linux/compiler.h>
 #include <serial.h>
 
-typedef volatile struct {
-	unsigned	data;			/* Data register */
-	unsigned	control;		/* Control register */
-} nios_jtag_t;
+struct altera_jtaguart_regs {
+	u32	data;			/* Data register */
+	u32	control;		/* Control register */
+};
+
+struct altera_jtaguart_platdata {
+	struct altera_jtaguart_regs *reg;
+};
 
 /* data register */
 #define NIOS_JTAG_RVALID	(1<<15)		/* Read valid */
-#define NIOS_JTAG_DATA(d)	((d)&0x0ff)	/* Read data */
-#define NIOS_JTAG_RAVAIL(d)	((d)>>16)	/* Read space avail */
 
 /* control register */
-#define NIOS_JTAG_RE		(1 << 0)	/* read intr enable */
-#define NIOS_JTAG_WE		(1 << 1)	/* write intr enable */
-#define NIOS_JTAG_RI		(1 << 8)	/* read intr pending */
-#define NIOS_JTAG_WI		(1 << 9)	/* write intr pending*/
 #define NIOS_JTAG_AC		(1 << 10)	/* activity indicator */
 #define NIOS_JTAG_RRDY		(1 << 12)	/* read available */
 #define NIOS_JTAG_WSPACE(d)	((d)>>16)	/* Write space avail */
+/* Write fifo size. FIXME: this should be extracted with sopc2dts */
+#define NIOS_JTAG_WRITE_DEPTH	64
 
 DECLARE_GLOBAL_DATA_PTR;
 
-/*------------------------------------------------------------------
- * JTAG acts as the serial port
- *-----------------------------------------------------------------*/
-static nios_jtag_t *jtag = (nios_jtag_t *)CONFIG_SYS_NIOS_CONSOLE;
-
-static void altera_jtag_serial_setbrg(void)
-{
-}
-
-static int altera_jtag_serial_init(void)
+static int altera_jtaguart_setbrg(struct udevice *dev, int baudrate)
 {
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void altera_jtag_serial_putc(char c)
+static int altera_jtaguart_putc(struct udevice *dev, const char c)
 {
-	while (1) {
-		unsigned st = readl(&jtag->control);
-		if (NIOS_JTAG_WSPACE(st))
-			break;
+	struct altera_jtaguart_platdata *plat = dev->platdata;
+	struct altera_jtaguart_regs *const regs = plat->reg;
+	u32 st = readl(&regs->control);
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_ALTERA_JTAG_UART_BYPASS
-		if (!(st & NIOS_JTAG_AC)) /* no connection */
-			return;
+	if (!(st & NIOS_JTAG_AC)) /* no connection */
+		return -ENETUNREACH;
 #endif
-		WATCHDOG_RESET();
-	}
-	writel ((unsigned char)c, &jtag->data);
+
+	if (NIOS_JTAG_WSPACE(st) == 0)
+		return -EAGAIN;
+
+	writel(c, &regs->data);
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
-static int altera_jtag_serial_tstc(void)
+static int altera_jtaguart_pending(struct udevice *dev, bool input)
 {
-	return ( readl (&jtag->control) & NIOS_JTAG_RRDY);
+	struct altera_jtaguart_platdata *plat = dev->platdata;
+	struct altera_jtaguart_regs *const regs = plat->reg;
+	u32 st = readl(&regs->control);
+
+	if (input)
+		return st & NIOS_JTAG_RRDY;
+	else
+		return !(NIOS_JTAG_WSPACE(st) == NIOS_JTAG_WRITE_DEPTH);
 }
 
-static int altera_jtag_serial_getc(void)
+static int altera_jtaguart_getc(struct udevice *dev)
 {
-	int c;
-	unsigned val;
-
-	while (1) {
-		WATCHDOG_RESET ();
-		val = readl (&jtag->data);
-		if (val & NIOS_JTAG_RVALID)
-			break;
-	}
-	c = val & 0x0ff;
-	return (c);
-}
+	struct altera_jtaguart_platdata *plat = dev->platdata;
+	struct altera_jtaguart_regs *const regs = plat->reg;
+	u32 val;
 
-static struct serial_device altera_jtag_serial_drv = {
-	.name	= "altera_jtag_uart",
-	.start	= altera_jtag_serial_init,
-	.stop	= NULL,
-	.setbrg	= altera_jtag_serial_setbrg,
-	.putc	= altera_jtag_serial_putc,
-	.puts	= default_serial_puts,
-	.getc	= altera_jtag_serial_getc,
-	.tstc	= altera_jtag_serial_tstc,
-};
+	val = readl(&regs->data);
+
+	if (!(val & NIOS_JTAG_RVALID))
+		return -EAGAIN;
 
-void altera_jtag_serial_initialize(void)
+	return val & 0xff;
+}
+
+static int altera_jtaguart_probe(struct udevice *dev)
 {
-	serial_register(&altera_jtag_serial_drv);
+	struct altera_jtaguart_platdata *plat = dev->platdata;
+	struct altera_jtaguart_regs *const regs = plat->reg;
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_ALTERA_JTAG_UART_BYPASS
+	writel(NIOS_JTAG_AC, &regs->control); /* clear AC flag */
+#endif
+	return 0;
 }
 
-__weak struct serial_device *default_serial_console(void)
+static int altera_jtaguart_ofdata_to_platdata(struct udevice *dev)
 {
-	return &altera_jtag_serial_drv;
+	struct altera_jtaguart_platdata *plat = dev_get_platdata(dev);
+
+	plat->reg = ioremap(dev_get_addr(dev),
+		sizeof(struct altera_jtaguart_regs));
+
+	return 0;
 }
+
+static const struct dm_serial_ops altera_jtaguart_ops = {
+	.putc = altera_jtaguart_putc,
+	.pending = altera_jtaguart_pending,
+	.getc = altera_jtaguart_getc,
+	.setbrg = altera_jtaguart_setbrg,
+};
+
+static const struct udevice_id altera_jtaguart_ids[] = {
+	{ .compatible = "altr,juart-1.0", },
+	{ }
+};
+
+U_BOOT_DRIVER(altera_jtaguart) = {
+	.name	= "altera_jtaguart",
+	.id	= UCLASS_SERIAL,
+	.of_match = altera_jtaguart_ids,
+	.ofdata_to_platdata = altera_jtaguart_ofdata_to_platdata,
+	.platdata_auto_alloc_size = sizeof(struct altera_jtaguart_platdata),
+	.probe = altera_jtaguart_probe,
+	.ops	= &altera_jtaguart_ops,
+	.flags = DM_FLAG_PRE_RELOC,
+};
diff --git a/include/configs/nios2-generic.h b/include/configs/nios2-generic.h
index 66ad2f0..bd6d45c 100644
--- a/include/configs/nios2-generic.h
+++ b/include/configs/nios2-generic.h
@@ -23,14 +23,11 @@
 /*
  * SERIAL
  */
-#define CONFIG_ALTERA_JTAG_UART
 #if defined(CONFIG_ALTERA_JTAG_UART)
-# define CONFIG_SYS_NIOS_CONSOLE	CONFIG_SYS_JTAG_UART_BASE
 #else
 # define CONFIG_SYS_NIOS_CONSOLE	CONFIG_SYS_UART_BASE
 #endif
 
-#define CONFIG_ALTERA_JTAG_UART_BYPASS
 #define CONFIG_SYS_NIOS_FIXEDBAUD
 #define CONFIG_BAUDRATE		CONFIG_SYS_UART_BAUD
 #define CONFIG_SYS_BAUDRATE_TABLE	{CONFIG_BAUDRATE}
