diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-nfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/nfs/nfs3/IdUserGroup.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-nfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/nfs/nfs3/IdUserGroup.java
index bf2b542d85..b81890189b 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-nfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/nfs/nfs3/IdUserGroup.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-nfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/nfs/nfs3/IdUserGroup.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
+import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
 
 import com.google.common.annotations.VisibleForTesting;
 import com.google.common.collect.BiMap;
@@ -42,9 +43,12 @@ public class IdUserGroup {
   static final String MAC_GET_ALL_USERS_CMD = "dscl . -list /Users UniqueID";
   static final String MAC_GET_ALL_GROUPS_CMD = "dscl . -list /Groups PrimaryGroupID";
 
-  // Do update every 15 minutes
-  final static long TIMEOUT = 15 * 60 * 1000; // ms
-
+  // Do update every 15 minutes by default
+  final static long TIMEOUT_DEFAULT = 15 * 60 * 1000; // ms
+  final static long TIMEOUT_MIN = 1 * 60 * 1000; // ms
+  final private long timeout;
+  final static String NFS_USERUPDATE_MILLY = "hadoop.nfs.userupdate.milly";
+  
   // Maps for id to name map. Guarded by this object monitor lock
   private BiMap<Integer, String> uidNameMap = HashBiMap.create();
   private BiMap<Integer, String> gidNameMap = HashBiMap.create();
@@ -52,11 +56,30 @@ public class IdUserGroup {
   private long lastUpdateTime = 0; // Last time maps were updated
   
   public IdUserGroup() throws IOException {
+    timeout = TIMEOUT_DEFAULT;
+    updateMaps();
+  }
+  
+  public IdUserGroup(Configuration conf) throws IOException {
+    long updateTime = conf.getLong(NFS_USERUPDATE_MILLY, TIMEOUT_DEFAULT);
+    // Minimal interval is 1 minute
+    if (updateTime < TIMEOUT_MIN) {
+      LOG.info("User configured user account update time is less"
+          + " than 1 minute. Use 1 minute instead.");
+      timeout = TIMEOUT_MIN;
+    } else {
+      timeout = updateTime;
+    }
     updateMaps();
   }
 
-  private boolean isExpired() {
-    return lastUpdateTime - System.currentTimeMillis() > TIMEOUT;
+  @VisibleForTesting
+  public long getTimeout() {
+    return timeout;
+  }
+  
+  synchronized private boolean isExpired() {
+    return lastUpdateTime - System.currentTimeMillis() > timeout;
   }
 
   // If can't update the maps, will keep using the old ones
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-nfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/nfs/nfs3/TestIdUserGroup.java b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-nfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/nfs/nfs3/TestIdUserGroup.java
index 4331238b16..3adb308c33 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-nfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/nfs/nfs3/TestIdUserGroup.java
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-nfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/nfs/nfs3/TestIdUserGroup.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import com.google.common.collect.BiMap;
@@ -64,4 +65,20 @@ public void testDuplicates() throws IOException {
     assertEquals(gMap.get(497), "mapred");
     assertEquals(gMap.get(498), "mapred3");    
   }
+  
+  @Test
+  public void testUserUpdateSetting() throws IOException {
+    IdUserGroup iug = new IdUserGroup();
+    assertEquals(iug.getTimeout(), IdUserGroup.TIMEOUT_DEFAULT);
+
+    Configuration conf = new Configuration();
+    conf.setLong(IdUserGroup.NFS_USERUPDATE_MILLY, 0);
+    iug = new IdUserGroup(conf);
+    assertEquals(iug.getTimeout(), IdUserGroup.TIMEOUT_MIN);
+
+    conf.setLong(IdUserGroup.NFS_USERUPDATE_MILLY,
+        IdUserGroup.TIMEOUT_DEFAULT * 2);
+    iug = new IdUserGroup(conf);
+    assertEquals(iug.getTimeout(), IdUserGroup.TIMEOUT_DEFAULT * 2);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
index bc2df46372..13fc4d335f 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/CHANGES.txt
@@ -524,6 +524,9 @@ Release 2.4.0 - UNRELEASED
 
     HDFS-6043. Give HDFS daemons NFS3 and Portmap their own OPTS (brandonli)
 
+    HDFS-6044. Add property for setting the NFS look up time for users
+    (brandonli)
+
   OPTIMIZATIONS
 
     HDFS-5790. LeaseManager.findPath is very slow when many leases need recovery