diff --git a/app/test-pmd/parameters.c b/app/test-pmd/parameters.c
index 7580762..601e13e 100644
--- a/app/test-pmd/parameters.c
+++ b/app/test-pmd/parameters.c
@@ -186,7 +186,8 @@ usage(char* progname)
 	printf("  --flow-isolate-all: "
 	       "requests flow API isolated mode on all ports at initialization time.\n");
 	printf("  --tx-offloads=0xXXXXXXXX: hexadecimal bitmask of TX queue offloads\n");
-	printf("  --hot-plug: enable hot plug for device.\n");
+	printf("  --hotplug-mode=N: set hotplug mode for device "
+	       "(N: disable (default) or eal or ethdev.\n");
 	printf("  --vxlan-gpe-port=N: UPD port of tunnel VXLAN-GPE\n");
 	printf("  --mlockall: lock all memory\n");
 	printf("  --no-mlockall: do not lock all memory\n");
@@ -621,7 +622,7 @@ launch_args_parse(int argc, char** argv)
 		{ "print-event",		1, 0, 0 },
 		{ "mask-event",			1, 0, 0 },
 		{ "tx-offloads",		1, 0, 0 },
-		{ "hot-plug",			0, 0, 0 },
+		{ "hotplug-mode",		1, 0, 0 },
 		{ "vxlan-gpe-port",		1, 0, 0 },
 		{ "mlockall",			0, 0, 0 },
 		{ "no-mlockall",		0, 0, 0 },
@@ -1139,8 +1140,19 @@ launch_args_parse(int argc, char** argv)
 					rte_exit(EXIT_FAILURE,
 						 "invalid mask-event argument\n");
 				}
-			if (!strcmp(lgopts[opt_idx].name, "hot-plug"))
-				hot_plug = 1;
+			if (!strcmp(lgopts[opt_idx].name, "hotplug-mode")) {
+				if (!strcmp(optarg, "disable"))
+					hotplug_mode = HOTPLUG_MODE_DISABLE;
+				else if (!strcmp(optarg, "eal"))
+					hotplug_mode = HOTPLUG_MODE_EAL;
+				else if (!strcmp(optarg, "ethdev"))
+					hotplug_mode = HOTPLUG_MODE_ETHDEV;
+				else
+					rte_exit(EXIT_FAILURE,
+						 "hotplug-mode %s invalid - must be: "
+						 "disable, eal, ethdev.\n",
+						 optarg);
+			}
 			if (!strcmp(lgopts[opt_idx].name, "mlockall"))
 				do_mlockall = 1;
 			if (!strcmp(lgopts[opt_idx].name, "no-mlockall"))
diff --git a/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c b/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c
index 42ed196..9269400 100644
--- a/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c
+++ b/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ uint8_t lsc_interrupt = 1; /* enabled by default */
  */
 uint8_t rmv_interrupt = 1; /* enabled by default */
 
-uint8_t hot_plug = 0; /**< hotplug disabled by default. */
+uint8_t hotplug_mode = HOTPLUG_MODE_ETHDEV; /**< hotplug disabled by default. */
 
 /*
  * Display or mask ether events
@@ -2043,7 +2043,7 @@ pmd_test_exit(void)
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (hot_plug) {
+	if (hotplug_mode == HOTPLUG_MODE_EAL) {
 		ret = rte_dev_event_monitor_stop();
 		if (ret)
 			RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL,
@@ -2181,9 +2181,13 @@ eth_event_callback(portid_t port_id, enum rte_eth_event_type type, void *param,
 
 	switch (type) {
 	case RTE_ETH_EVENT_INTR_RMV:
-		if (rte_eal_alarm_set(100000,
-				rmv_event_callback, (void *)(intptr_t)port_id))
-			fprintf(stderr, "Could not set up deferred device removal\n");
+		if (hotplug_mode == HOTPLUG_MODE_ETHDEV) {
+			if (rte_eal_alarm_set(100000,
+					rmv_event_callback,
+					(void *)(intptr_t)port_id))
+				fprintf(stderr, "Could not set up deferred "
+					"device removal\n");
+		}
 		break;
 	default:
 		break;
@@ -2734,8 +2738,8 @@ main(int argc, char** argv)
 
 	init_config();
 
-	if (hot_plug) {
-		/* enable hot plug monitoring */
+	if (hotplug_mode == HOTPLUG_MODE_EAL) {
+		/* enable hotplug event monitoring */
 		ret = rte_dev_event_monitor_start();
 		if (ret) {
 			rte_errno = EINVAL;
diff --git a/app/test-pmd/testpmd.h b/app/test-pmd/testpmd.h
index f51cd9d..e29ee2a 100644
--- a/app/test-pmd/testpmd.h
+++ b/app/test-pmd/testpmd.h
@@ -69,6 +69,12 @@ enum {
 	PORT_TOPOLOGY_LOOP,
 };
 
+enum {
+	HOTPLUG_MODE_DISABLE,
+	HOTPLUG_MODE_EAL,
+	HOTPLUG_MODE_ETHDEV,
+};
+
 #ifdef RTE_TEST_PMD_RECORD_BURST_STATS
 /**
  * The data structure associated with RX and TX packet burst statistics
@@ -335,7 +341,7 @@ extern uint8_t lsc_interrupt; /**< disabled by "--no-lsc-interrupt" parameter */
 extern uint8_t rmv_interrupt; /**< disabled by "--no-rmv-interrupt" parameter */
 extern uint32_t event_print_mask;
 /**< set by "--print-event xxxx" and "--mask-event xxxx parameters */
-extern uint8_t hot_plug; /**< enable by "--hot-plug" parameter */
+extern uint8_t hotplug_mode; /**< set by "--hotplug-mode" parameter */
 extern int do_mlockall; /**< set by "--mlockall" or "--no-mlockall" parameter */
 
 #ifdef RTE_LIBRTE_IXGBE_BYPASS
diff --git a/doc/guides/testpmd_app_ug/run_app.rst b/doc/guides/testpmd_app_ug/run_app.rst
index f301c2b..09e2716 100644
--- a/doc/guides/testpmd_app_ug/run_app.rst
+++ b/doc/guides/testpmd_app_ug/run_app.rst
@@ -482,9 +482,15 @@ The commandline options are:
     Set the hexadecimal bitmask of TX queue offloads.
     The default value is 0.
 
-*   ``--hot-plug``
+*   ``--hotplug-mode``
 
-    Enable device event monitor machenism for hotplug.
+    Set the hotplug handle mode, that is ``disable`` or ``eal`` or ``ethdev`` (the default).
+
+    In ``disable`` mode, it will not handle the hotplug for device.
+
+    In ``eal`` mode, it will start device event monitor and register eth_dev_event_callback for hotplug process.
+
+    In ``ethdev`` mode, it will process RTE_ETH_EVENT_INTR_RMV event which is detected from ethdev.
 
 *   ``--vxlan-gpe-port=N``
 
