diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/client/RMProxy.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/client/RMProxy.java
index bda3c75501..8cbd75e83a 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/client/RMProxy.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/client/RMProxy.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
 import java.net.NoRouteToHostException;
 import java.net.SocketException;
+import java.net.SocketTimeoutException;
 import java.net.UnknownHostException;
 import java.security.PrivilegedAction;
 import java.util.HashMap;
@@ -294,6 +295,7 @@ protected static RetryPolicy createRetryPolicy(Configuration conf,
     exceptionToPolicyMap.put(ConnectTimeoutException.class, retryPolicy);
     exceptionToPolicyMap.put(RetriableException.class, retryPolicy);
     exceptionToPolicyMap.put(SocketException.class, retryPolicy);
+    exceptionToPolicyMap.put(SocketTimeoutException.class, retryPolicy);
     exceptionToPolicyMap.put(StandbyException.class, retryPolicy);
     // YARN-4288: local IOException is also possible.
     exceptionToPolicyMap.put(IOException.class, retryPolicy);
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/TestNodeStatusUpdater.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/TestNodeStatusUpdater.java
index 28344f9c94..914764132e 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/TestNodeStatusUpdater.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-nodemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/nodemanager/TestNodeStatusUpdater.java
@@ -398,12 +398,15 @@ private class MyNodeStatusUpdater4 extends NodeStatusUpdaterImpl {
     private final long rmStartIntervalMS;
     private final boolean rmNeverStart;
     public ResourceTracker resourceTracker;
+    private final boolean useSocketTimeoutEx;
     public MyNodeStatusUpdater4(Context context, Dispatcher dispatcher,
         NodeHealthCheckerService healthChecker, NodeManagerMetrics metrics,
-        long rmStartIntervalMS, boolean rmNeverStart) {
+        long rmStartIntervalMS, boolean rmNeverStart,
+        boolean useSocketTimeoutEx) {
       super(context, dispatcher, healthChecker, metrics);
       this.rmStartIntervalMS = rmStartIntervalMS;
       this.rmNeverStart = rmNeverStart;
+      this.useSocketTimeoutEx = useSocketTimeoutEx;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -418,7 +421,8 @@ protected ResourceTracker getRMClient() throws IOException {
           HAUtil.isHAEnabled(conf));
       resourceTracker =
           (ResourceTracker) RetryProxy.create(ResourceTracker.class,
-            new MyResourceTracker6(rmStartIntervalMS, rmNeverStart),
+            new MyResourceTracker6(rmStartIntervalMS, rmNeverStart,
+                useSocketTimeoutEx),
             retryPolicy);
       return resourceTracker;
     }
@@ -852,11 +856,14 @@ private class MyResourceTracker6 implements ResourceTracker {
     private long rmStartIntervalMS;
     private boolean rmNeverStart;
     private final long waitStartTime;
+    private final boolean useSocketTimeoutEx;
 
-    public MyResourceTracker6(long rmStartIntervalMS, boolean rmNeverStart) {
+    MyResourceTracker6(long rmStartIntervalMS, boolean rmNeverStart,
+                       boolean useSocketTimeoutEx) {
       this.rmStartIntervalMS = rmStartIntervalMS;
       this.rmNeverStart = rmNeverStart;
       this.waitStartTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+      this.useSocketTimeoutEx = useSocketTimeoutEx;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -865,8 +872,13 @@ public RegisterNodeManagerResponse registerNodeManager(
         IOException {
       if (System.currentTimeMillis() - waitStartTime <= rmStartIntervalMS
           || rmNeverStart) {
-        throw new java.net.ConnectException("Faking RM start failure as start "
-            + "delay timer has not expired.");
+        if (useSocketTimeoutEx) {
+          throw new java.net.SocketTimeoutException(
+              "Faking RM start failure as start delay timer has not expired.");
+        } else {
+          throw new java.net.ConnectException(
+              "Faking RM start failure as start delay timer has not expired.");
+        }
       } else {
         NodeId nodeId = request.getNodeId();
         Resource resource = request.getResource();
@@ -1368,8 +1380,8 @@ protected NodeStatusUpdater createUpdater(Context context,
     }
   }
 
-  @Test (timeout = 150000)
-  public void testNMConnectionToRM() throws Exception {
+  private void testNMConnectionToRMInternal(boolean useSocketTimeoutEx)
+      throws Exception {
     final long delta = 50000;
     final long connectionWaitMs = 5000;
     final long connectionRetryIntervalMs = 1000;
@@ -1388,7 +1400,7 @@ protected NodeStatusUpdater createUpdater(Context context,
           Dispatcher dispatcher, NodeHealthCheckerService healthChecker) {
         NodeStatusUpdater nodeStatusUpdater = new MyNodeStatusUpdater4(
             context, dispatcher, healthChecker, metrics,
-            rmStartIntervalMS, true);
+            rmStartIntervalMS, true, useSocketTimeoutEx);
         return nodeStatusUpdater;
       }
     };
@@ -1420,7 +1432,7 @@ protected NodeStatusUpdater createUpdater(Context context,
           Dispatcher dispatcher, NodeHealthCheckerService healthChecker) {
         NodeStatusUpdater nodeStatusUpdater = new MyNodeStatusUpdater4(
             context, dispatcher, healthChecker, metrics, rmStartIntervalMS,
-            false);
+            false, useSocketTimeoutEx);
         return nodeStatusUpdater;
       }
     };
@@ -1451,6 +1463,16 @@ protected NodeStatusUpdater createUpdater(Context context,
         (duration < (rmStartIntervalMS + delta)));
   }
 
+  @Test (timeout = 150000)
+  public void testNMConnectionToRM() throws Exception {
+    testNMConnectionToRMInternal(false);
+  }
+
+  @Test (timeout = 150000)
+  public void testNMConnectionToRMwithSocketTimeout() throws Exception {
+    testNMConnectionToRMInternal(true);
+  }
+
   /**
    * Verifies that if for some reason NM fails to start ContainerManager RPC
    * server, RM is oblivious to NM's presence. The behaviour is like this