diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/DataNode.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/DataNode.java
index 410472e69c..a59a59ff74 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/DataNode.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/DataNode.java
@@ -1928,7 +1928,10 @@ public class DataNode extends ReconfigurableBase
       } catch (InterruptedException ie) {
       }
     }
-   
+    if (metrics != null) {
+      metrics.setDataNodeActiveXceiversCount(0);
+    }
+
    // IPC server needs to be shutdown late in the process, otherwise
    // shutdown command response won't get sent.
    if (ipcServer != null) {
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/DataXceiverServer.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/DataXceiverServer.java
index 126d5b10d4..4aab3f86bb 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/DataXceiverServer.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/DataXceiverServer.java
@@ -232,11 +232,13 @@ class DataXceiverServer implements Runnable {
     }
     peers.put(peer, t);
     peersXceiver.put(peer, xceiver);
+    datanode.metrics.incrDataNodeActiveXceiversCount();
   }
 
   synchronized void closePeer(Peer peer) {
     peers.remove(peer);
     peersXceiver.remove(peer);
+    datanode.metrics.decrDataNodeActiveXceiversCount();
     IOUtils.cleanup(null, peer);
   }
 
@@ -282,6 +284,7 @@ class DataXceiverServer implements Runnable {
     }
     peers.clear();
     peersXceiver.clear();
+    datanode.metrics.setDataNodeActiveXceiversCount(0);
   }
 
   // Return the number of peers.
@@ -303,6 +306,7 @@ class DataXceiverServer implements Runnable {
   synchronized void releasePeer(Peer peer) {
     peers.remove(peer);
     peersXceiver.remove(peer);
+    datanode.metrics.decrDataNodeActiveXceiversCount();
   }
 
   public void updateBalancerMaxConcurrentMovers(int movers) {
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/metrics/DataNodeMetrics.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/metrics/DataNodeMetrics.java
index 3d504d6b0e..dc12787541 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/metrics/DataNodeMetrics.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/metrics/DataNodeMetrics.java
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.metrics2.lib.MetricsRegistry;
 import org.apache.hadoop.metrics2.lib.MutableCounterLong;
 import org.apache.hadoop.metrics2.lib.MutableQuantiles;
 import org.apache.hadoop.metrics2.lib.MutableRate;
+import org.apache.hadoop.metrics2.lib.MutableGaugeInt;
 import org.apache.hadoop.metrics2.source.JvmMetrics;
 
 import java.util.concurrent.ThreadLocalRandom;
@@ -101,6 +102,9 @@ public class DataNodeMetrics {
   @Metric("Count of network errors on the datanode")
   MutableCounterLong datanodeNetworkErrors;
 
+  @Metric("Count of active dataNode xceivers")
+  private MutableGaugeInt dataNodeActiveXceiversCount;
+
   @Metric MutableRate readBlockOp;
   @Metric MutableRate writeBlockOp;
   @Metric MutableRate blockChecksumOp;
@@ -429,4 +433,16 @@ public class DataNodeMetrics {
     ecFailedReconstructionTasks.incr();
   }
 
+  public void incrDataNodeActiveXceiversCount() {
+    dataNodeActiveXceiversCount.incr();
+  }
+
+  public void decrDataNodeActiveXceiversCount() {
+    dataNodeActiveXceiversCount.decr();
+  }
+
+  public void setDataNodeActiveXceiversCount(int value) {
+    this.dataNodeActiveXceiversCount.set(value);
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/TestDataNodeMetrics.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/TestDataNodeMetrics.java
index 355f7a1e75..a40425926e 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/TestDataNodeMetrics.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/datanode/TestDataNodeMetrics.java
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.server.common.HdfsServerConstants.StartupOption;
 import org.apache.hadoop.io.IOUtils;
 import org.apache.hadoop.metrics2.MetricsRecordBuilder;
 import org.apache.hadoop.test.GenericTestUtils;
+import org.apache.hadoop.test.MetricsAsserts;
 import org.apache.hadoop.util.Time;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.mockito.Mockito;
@@ -331,4 +332,34 @@ public class TestDataNodeMetrics {
       }
     }
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testDatanodeActiveXceiversCount() throws Exception {
+    Configuration conf = new HdfsConfiguration();
+    MiniDFSCluster cluster = new MiniDFSCluster.Builder(conf).build();
+    try {
+      FileSystem fs = cluster.getFileSystem();
+      List<DataNode> datanodes = cluster.getDataNodes();
+      assertEquals(datanodes.size(), 1);
+      DataNode datanode = datanodes.get(0);
+
+      MetricsRecordBuilder rb = getMetrics(datanode.getMetrics().name());
+      long dataNodeActiveXceiversCount = MetricsAsserts.getIntGauge(
+              "DataNodeActiveXceiversCount", rb);
+      assertEquals(dataNodeActiveXceiversCount, 0);
+
+      Path path = new Path("/counter.txt");
+      DFSTestUtil.createFile(fs, path, 204800000, (short) 3, Time
+              .monotonicNow());
+
+      MetricsRecordBuilder rbNew = getMetrics(datanode.getMetrics().name());
+      dataNodeActiveXceiversCount = MetricsAsserts.getIntGauge(
+              "DataNodeActiveXceiversCount", rbNew);
+      assertTrue(dataNodeActiveXceiversCount >= 0);
+    } finally {
+      if (cluster != null) {
+        cluster.shutdown();
+      }
+    }
+  }
 }