diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
index 6e51b26482a..b4ce34d4a1a 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
@@ -130,6 +130,9 @@ Release 2.7.3 - UNRELEASED
     YARN-4924. NM recovery race can lead to container not cleaned up.
     (sandflee via jlowe)
 
+    YARN-4940. yarn node -list -all failed if RM start with decommissioned
+    node (sandflee via jlowe)
+
 Release 2.7.2 - 2016-01-25
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/NodesListManager.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/NodesListManager.java
index 46fb3afbccf..187398b57d2 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/NodesListManager.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/NodesListManager.java
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ public void refreshNodes(Configuration yarnConf) throws IOException,
   private void setDecomissionedNMs() {
     Set<String> excludeList = hostsReader.getExcludedHosts();
     for (final String host : excludeList) {
-      UnknownNodeId nodeId = new UnknownNodeId(host);
+      NodeId nodeId = createUnknownNodeId(host);
       RMNodeImpl rmNode = new RMNodeImpl(nodeId,
           rmContext, host, -1, -1, new UnknownNode(host), null, null);
       rmContext.getInactiveRMNodes().put(nodeId.getHost(), rmNode);
@@ -253,38 +253,8 @@ private HostsFileReader createHostsFileReader(String includesFile,
    * A NodeId instance needed upon startup for populating inactive nodes Map.
    * It only knows the hostname/ip and marks the port to -1 or invalid.
    */
-  public static class UnknownNodeId extends NodeId {
-
-    private String host;
-
-    public UnknownNodeId(String host) {
-      this.host = host;
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public String getHost() {
-      return this.host;
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    protected void setHost(String hst) {
-
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public int getPort() {
-      return -1;
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    protected void setPort(int port) {
-
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    protected void build() {
-
-    }
+  public static NodeId createUnknownNodeId(String host) {
+    return NodeId.newInstance(host, -1);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestClientRMService.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestClientRMService.java
index 26f4925c2b0..df0e057d6b2 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestClientRMService.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestClientRMService.java
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.spy;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
 
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.FileOutputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
 import java.security.PrivilegedExceptionAction;
@@ -277,7 +279,7 @@ protected ClientRMService createClientRMService() {
       Assert.assertTrue(report.getNodeLabels() != null
           && report.getNodeLabels().isEmpty());
     }
-    
+
     rpc.stopProxy(client, conf);
     rm.close();
   }
@@ -1516,4 +1518,49 @@ protected ClientRMService createClientRMService() {
     rpc.stopProxy(client, conf);
     rm.close();
   }
+
+  private void createExcludeFile(String filename) throws IOException {
+    File file = new File(filename);
+    if (file.exists()) {
+      file.delete();
+    }
+
+    FileOutputStream out = new FileOutputStream(file);
+    out.write("decommisssionedHost".getBytes());
+    out.close();
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testRMStartWithDecommissionedNode() throws Exception {
+    String excludeFile = "excludeFile";
+    createExcludeFile(excludeFile);
+    YarnConfiguration conf = new YarnConfiguration();
+    conf.set(YarnConfiguration.RM_NODES_EXCLUDE_FILE_PATH,
+        excludeFile);
+    MockRM rm = new MockRM(conf) {
+      protected ClientRMService createClientRMService() {
+        return new ClientRMService(this.rmContext, scheduler,
+            this.rmAppManager, this.applicationACLsManager, this.queueACLsManager,
+            this.getRMContext().getRMDelegationTokenSecretManager());
+      };
+    };
+    rm.start();
+
+    YarnRPC rpc = YarnRPC.create(conf);
+    InetSocketAddress rmAddress = rm.getClientRMService().getBindAddress();
+    LOG.info("Connecting to ResourceManager at " + rmAddress);
+    ApplicationClientProtocol client =
+        (ApplicationClientProtocol) rpc
+            .getProxy(ApplicationClientProtocol.class, rmAddress, conf);
+
+    // Make call
+    GetClusterNodesRequest request =
+        GetClusterNodesRequest.newInstance(EnumSet.allOf(NodeState.class));
+    List<NodeReport> nodeReports = client.getClusterNodes(request).getNodeReports();
+    Assert.assertEquals(1, nodeReports.size());
+
+    rm.stop();
+    rpc.stopProxy(client, conf);
+    new File(excludeFile).delete();
+  }
 }
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestRMNodeTransitions.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestRMNodeTransitions.java
index 0735e0fd702..e21b747145e 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestRMNodeTransitions.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestRMNodeTransitions.java
@@ -459,8 +459,8 @@ public void testUpdateHeartbeatResponseForCleanup() {
 
   @Test
   public void testUnknownNodeId() {
-    NodesListManager.UnknownNodeId nodeId =
-        new NodesListManager.UnknownNodeId("host1");
+    NodeId nodeId =
+        NodesListManager.createUnknownNodeId("host1");
     RMNodeImpl node =
         new RMNodeImpl(nodeId, rmContext, null, 0, 0, null, null, null);
     rmContext.getInactiveRMNodes().putIfAbsent(nodeId.getHost(),node);