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 f35534cc70..c1507a4512 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
@@ -791,6 +791,7 @@ public class DataNode extends ReconfigurableBase
               .newFixedThreadPool(changedVolumes.newLocations.size());
           List<Future<IOException>> exceptions = Lists.newArrayList();
 
+          Preconditions.checkNotNull(data, "Storage not yet initialized");
           for (final StorageLocation location : changedVolumes.newLocations) {
             exceptions.add(service.submit(new Callable<IOException>() {
               @Override
@@ -890,6 +891,7 @@ public class DataNode extends ReconfigurableBase
         clearFailure, Joiner.on(",").join(storageLocations)));
 
     IOException ioe = null;
+    Preconditions.checkNotNull(data, "Storage not yet initialized");
     // Remove volumes and block infos from FsDataset.
     data.removeVolumes(storageLocations, clearFailure);
 
@@ -1968,6 +1970,7 @@ public class DataNode extends ReconfigurableBase
     FileInputStream fis[] = new FileInputStream[2];
     
     try {
+      Preconditions.checkNotNull(data, "Storage not yet initialized");
       fis[0] = (FileInputStream)data.getBlockInputStream(blk, 0);
       fis[1] = DatanodeUtil.getMetaDataInputStream(blk, data);
     } catch (ClassCastException e) {
@@ -2947,6 +2950,7 @@ public class DataNode extends ReconfigurableBase
   @Override // InterDatanodeProtocol
   public ReplicaRecoveryInfo initReplicaRecovery(RecoveringBlock rBlock)
       throws IOException {
+    Preconditions.checkNotNull(data, "Storage not yet initialized");
     return data.initReplicaRecovery(rBlock);
   }
 
@@ -2957,6 +2961,7 @@ public class DataNode extends ReconfigurableBase
   public String updateReplicaUnderRecovery(final ExtendedBlock oldBlock,
       final long recoveryId, final long newBlockId, final long newLength)
       throws IOException {
+    Preconditions.checkNotNull(data, "Storage not yet initialized");
     final Replica r = data.updateReplicaUnderRecovery(oldBlock,
         recoveryId, newBlockId, newLength);
     // Notify the namenode of the updated block info. This is important
@@ -3238,7 +3243,7 @@ public class DataNode extends ReconfigurableBase
           "The block pool is still running. First do a refreshNamenodes to " +
           "shutdown the block pool service");
     }
-   
+    Preconditions.checkNotNull(data, "Storage not yet initialized");
     data.deleteBlockPool(blockPoolId, force);
   }
 
@@ -3682,6 +3687,7 @@ public class DataNode extends ReconfigurableBase
   @Override
   public List<DatanodeVolumeInfo> getVolumeReport() throws IOException {
     checkSuperuserPrivilege();
+    Preconditions.checkNotNull(data, "Storage not yet initialized");
     Map<String, Object> volumeInfoMap = data.getVolumeInfoMap();
     if (volumeInfoMap == null) {
       LOG.warn("DataNode volume info not available.");