diff --git a/lib/module.js b/lib/module.js
index fb233d6c4541fe..f633d62c490c39 100644
--- a/lib/module.js
+++ b/lib/module.js
@@ -97,32 +97,27 @@ function readPackage(requestPath) {
   return pkg;
 }
 
-function tryPackage(requestPath, exts, isMain) {
+function tryPackage(requestPath, exts) {
   var pkg = readPackage(requestPath);
 
   if (!pkg) return false;
 
   var filename = path.resolve(requestPath, pkg);
-  return tryFile(filename, isMain) ||
-         tryExtensions(filename, exts, isMain) ||
-         tryExtensions(path.resolve(filename, 'index'), exts, isMain);
+  return tryFile(filename) ||
+         tryExtensions(filename, exts) ||
+         tryExtensions(path.resolve(filename, 'index'), exts);
 }
 
 // check if the file exists and is not a directory
-// resolve to the absolute realpath if running main module,
-// otherwise resolve to absolute while keeping symlinks intact.
-function tryFile(requestPath, isMain) {
+function tryFile(requestPath) {
   const rc = stat(requestPath);
-  if (isMain) {
-    return rc === 0 && fs.realpathSync(requestPath);
-  }
-  return rc === 0 && path.resolve(requestPath);
+  return rc === 0 && fs.realpathSync(requestPath);
 }
 
 // given a path check a the file exists with any of the set extensions
-function tryExtensions(p, exts, isMain) {
+function tryExtensions(p, exts) {
   for (var i = 0; i < exts.length; i++) {
-    const filename = tryFile(p + exts[i], isMain);
+    const filename = tryFile(p + exts[i]);
 
     if (filename) {
       return filename;
@@ -132,7 +127,7 @@ function tryExtensions(p, exts, isMain) {
 }
 
 var warned = false;
-Module._findPath = function(request, paths, isMain) {
+Module._findPath = function(request, paths) {
   if (path.isAbsolute(request)) {
     paths = [''];
   } else if (!paths || paths.length === 0) {
@@ -159,36 +154,32 @@ Module._findPath = function(request, paths, isMain) {
     if (!trailingSlash) {
       const rc = stat(basePath);
       if (rc === 0) {  // File.
-        if (!isMain) {
-          filename = path.resolve(basePath);
-        } else {
-          filename = fs.realpathSync(basePath);
-        }
+        filename = fs.realpathSync(basePath);
       } else if (rc === 1) {  // Directory.
         if (exts === undefined)
           exts = Object.keys(Module._extensions);
-        filename = tryPackage(basePath, exts, isMain);
+        filename = tryPackage(basePath, exts);
       }
 
       if (!filename) {
         // try it with each of the extensions
         if (exts === undefined)
           exts = Object.keys(Module._extensions);
-        filename = tryExtensions(basePath, exts, isMain);
+        filename = tryExtensions(basePath, exts);
       }
     }
 
     if (!filename) {
       if (exts === undefined)
         exts = Object.keys(Module._extensions);
-      filename = tryPackage(basePath, exts, isMain);
+      filename = tryPackage(basePath, exts);
     }
 
     if (!filename) {
       // try it with each of the extensions at "index"
       if (exts === undefined)
         exts = Object.keys(Module._extensions);
-      filename = tryExtensions(path.resolve(basePath, 'index'), exts, isMain);
+      filename = tryExtensions(path.resolve(basePath, 'index'), exts);
     }
 
     if (filename) {
@@ -383,7 +374,7 @@ Module._load = function(request, parent, isMain) {
     debug('Module._load REQUEST %s parent: %s', request, parent.id);
   }
 
-  var filename = Module._resolveFilename(request, parent, isMain);
+  var filename = Module._resolveFilename(request, parent);
 
   var cachedModule = Module._cache[filename];
   if (cachedModule) {
@@ -421,7 +412,7 @@ function tryModuleLoad(module, filename) {
   }
 }
 
-Module._resolveFilename = function(request, parent, isMain) {
+Module._resolveFilename = function(request, parent) {
   if (NativeModule.nonInternalExists(request)) {
     return request;
   }
@@ -433,7 +424,7 @@ Module._resolveFilename = function(request, parent, isMain) {
   // look up the filename first, since that's the cache key.
   debug('looking for %j in %j', id, paths);
 
-  var filename = Module._findPath(request, paths, isMain);
+  var filename = Module._findPath(request, paths);
   if (!filename) {
     var err = new Error("Cannot find module '" + request + "'");
     err.code = 'MODULE_NOT_FOUND';
diff --git a/test/addons/symlinked-module/binding.cc b/test/addons/symlinked-module/binding.cc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..cdf9904e3f8d47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/addons/symlinked-module/binding.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#include <node.h>
+#include <v8.h>
+
+void Method(const v8::FunctionCallbackInfo<v8::Value>& args) {
+  v8::Isolate* isolate = args.GetIsolate();
+  args.GetReturnValue().Set(v8::String::NewFromUtf8(isolate, "world"));
+}
+
+void init(v8::Local<v8::Object> target) {
+  NODE_SET_METHOD(target, "hello", Method);
+}
+
+NODE_MODULE(binding, init);
diff --git a/test/addons/symlinked-module/binding.gyp b/test/addons/symlinked-module/binding.gyp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..3bfb84493f3e87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/addons/symlinked-module/binding.gyp
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+  'targets': [
+    {
+      'target_name': 'binding',
+      'sources': [ 'binding.cc' ]
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/test/addons/symlinked-module/submodule.js b/test/addons/symlinked-module/submodule.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..9c8ea95dc06cde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/addons/symlinked-module/submodule.js
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+'use strict';
+require('common');
+const path = require('path');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+module.exports.test = function(bindingDir) {
+  var mod = require(path.join(bindingDir, 'binding.node'));
+  assert(mod != null);
+  assert(mod.hello() == 'world');
+}
diff --git a/test/addons/symlinked-module/test.js b/test/addons/symlinked-module/test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..1c14f29a398648
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/addons/symlinked-module/test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+'use strict';
+const common = require('../../common');
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+common.refreshTmpDir();
+
+var destDir = path.resolve(common.tmpDir);
+
+var location = [path.join(destDir, 'first'), path.join(destDir, 'second')];
+fs.mkdirSync(location[0]);
+try {
+  fs.symlinkSync(location[0], location[1]);
+} catch (EPERM) {
+  console.log('1..0 # Skipped: module identity test (no privs for symlinks)');
+  return;
+}
+
+const addonPath = path.join(__dirname, 'build', 'Release', 'binding.node');
+
+var contents = fs.readFileSync(addonPath);
+fs.writeFileSync(path.join(location[0], 'binding.node'), contents);
+fs.writeFileSync(path.join(location[1], 'binding.node'), contents);
+
+var primary = require(path.join(location[0], 'binding.node'));
+assert(primary != null);
+assert(primary.hello() == 'world');
+var secondary = require(path.join(location[1], 'binding.node'));
+assert(secondary != null);
+assert(secondary.hello() == 'world');
+require('./submodule').test(location[1]);
diff --git a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/foo.js b/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/foo.js
deleted file mode 100644
index e7361df25ed218..00000000000000
--- a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/foo.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-exports.dep1 = require('dep1');
-exports.dep2 = exports.dep1.dep2;
diff --git a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/bar/index.js b/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/bar/index.js
deleted file mode 100644
index f8d439ec7e126c..00000000000000
--- a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/bar/index.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-exports.version = 'INCORRECT_VERSION';
diff --git a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/dep1/index.js b/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/dep1/index.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 78f255b8f4ad35..00000000000000
--- a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/dep1/index.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-exports.bar = require('bar');
-exports.dep2 = require('dep2');
diff --git a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/dep1/node_modules/bar/index.js b/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/dep1/node_modules/bar/index.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 6d8b0321d21fd5..00000000000000
--- a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/dep1/node_modules/bar/index.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-exports.version = 'CORRECT_VERSION';
diff --git a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/dep2/index.js b/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/dep2/index.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 2b81d1512858cd..00000000000000
--- a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/node_modules/dep2/index.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-exports.bar = require('bar');
diff --git a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/symlinked.js b/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/symlinked.js
deleted file mode 100644
index fea1cedb0aa4f8..00000000000000
--- a/test/fixtures/module-require-symlink/symlinked.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-'use strict';
-const assert = require('assert');
-const common = require('../../common');
-const path = require('path');
-
-const linkScriptTarget = path.join(common.fixturesDir,
-  '/module-require-symlink/symlinked.js');
-
-var foo = require('./foo');
-assert.equal(foo.dep1.bar.version, 'CORRECT_VERSION');
-assert.equal(foo.dep2.bar.version, 'CORRECT_VERSION');
-assert.equal(__filename, linkScriptTarget);
-assert(__filename in require.cache);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-require-symlink.js b/test/parallel/test-require-symlink.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 6b716ffa1381ac..00000000000000
--- a/test/parallel/test-require-symlink.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,57 +0,0 @@
-'use strict';
-const common = require('../common');
-const assert = require('assert');
-const path = require('path');
-const fs = require('fs');
-const exec = require('child_process').exec;
-const spawn = require('child_process').spawn;
-
-const linkTarget = path.join(common.fixturesDir,
-  '/module-require-symlink/node_modules/dep2/');
-
-const linkDir = path.join(common.fixturesDir,
-  '/module-require-symlink/node_modules/dep1/node_modules/dep2');
-
-const linkScriptTarget = path.join(common.fixturesDir,
-  '/module-require-symlink/symlinked.js');
-
-const linkScript = path.join(common.tmpDir, 'module-require-symlink.js');
-
-if (common.isWindows) {
-  // On Windows, creating symlinks requires admin privileges.
-  // We'll only try to run symlink test if we have enough privileges.
-  exec('whoami /priv', function(err, o) {
-    if (err || o.indexOf('SeCreateSymbolicLinkPrivilege') == -1) {
-      console.log('Skipped: insufficient privileges');
-      return;
-    } else {
-      test();
-    }
-  });
-} else {
-  test();
-}
-
-function test() {
-  process.on('exit', function() {
-    fs.unlinkSync(linkDir);
-    fs.unlinkSync(linkScript);
-  });
-
-  fs.symlinkSync(linkTarget, linkDir);
-  fs.symlinkSync(linkScriptTarget, linkScript);
-
-  // load symlinked-module
-  var fooModule =
-    require(path.join(common.fixturesDir, '/module-require-symlink/foo.js'));
-  assert.equal(fooModule.dep1.bar.version, 'CORRECT_VERSION');
-  assert.equal(fooModule.dep2.bar.version, 'CORRECT_VERSION');
-
-  // load symlinked-script as main
-  var node = process.execPath;
-  var child = spawn(node, [linkScript]);
-  child.on('close', function(code, signal) {
-    assert(!code);
-    assert(!signal);
-  });
-}