diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/hadoop-env.cmd b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/hadoop-env.cmd
index 5aed07d21b6..5e0cd8605eb 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/hadoop-env.cmd
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/hadoop-env.cmd
@@ -74,6 +74,15 @@ set HADOOP_SECURE_DN_USER=%HADOOP_SECURE_DN_USER%
 @rem Where log files are stored in the secure data environment.
 set HADOOP_SECURE_DN_LOG_DIR=%HADOOP_LOG_DIR%\%HADOOP_HDFS_USER%
 
+@rem
+@rem Router-based HDFS Federation specific parameters
+@rem Specify the JVM options to be used when starting the RBF Routers.
+@rem These options will be appended to the options specified as HADOOP_OPTS
+@rem and therefore may override any similar flags set in HADOOP_OPTS
+@rem
+@rem set HADOOP_DFSROUTER_OPTS=""
+@rem
+
 @rem The directory where pid files are stored. /tmp by default.
 @rem NOTE: this should be set to a directory that can only be written to by 
 @rem       the user that will run the hadoop daemons.  Otherwise there is the
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/hadoop-env.sh b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/hadoop-env.sh
index 8d15f980134..f1eb66b5507 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/hadoop-env.sh
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/hadoop-env.sh
@@ -93,6 +93,15 @@ export HADOOP_SECURE_DN_USER=${HADOOP_SECURE_DN_USER}
 #
 # export HADOOP_MOVER_OPTS=""
 
+###
+# Router-based HDFS Federation specific parameters
+# Specify the JVM options to be used when starting the RBF Routers.
+# These options will be appended to the options specified as HADOOP_OPTS
+# and therefore may override any similar flags set in HADOOP_OPTS
+#
+# export HADOOP_DFSROUTER_OPTS=""
+###
+
 ###
 # Advanced Users Only!
 ###
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/bin/hdfs b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/bin/hdfs
index 0b96ec2a181..b306698126c 100755
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/bin/hdfs
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/bin/hdfs
@@ -134,6 +134,13 @@ if [ "$COMMAND" == "nfs3" ] && [ "$EUID" -eq 0 ] && [ -n "$HADOOP_PRIVILEGED_NFS
   fi
 fi
 
+# Determine if we're using deprecated config HADOOP_ROUTER_OPTS
+if [ "$COMMAND" == "dfsrouter" ] && [ "$HADOOP_ROUTER_OPTS" != "" ]; then
+  echo "WARNING: it looks like you're using a deprecated config HADOOP_ROUTER_OPTS. "\
+    "Please switch to HADOOP_DFSROUTER_OPTS."
+  HADOOP_DFSROUTER_OPTS=$HADOOP_ROUTER_OPTS
+fi
+
 if [ "$COMMAND" = "namenode" ] ; then
   CLASS='org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.server.namenode.NameNode'
   HADOOP_OPTS="$HADOOP_OPTS $HADOOP_NAMENODE_OPTS"
@@ -161,7 +168,7 @@ elif [ "$COMMAND" = "dfsadmin" ] ; then
   HADOOP_OPTS="$HADOOP_OPTS $HADOOP_CLIENT_OPTS"
 elif [ "$COMMAND" = "dfsrouter" ] ; then
   CLASS='org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.server.federation.router.DFSRouter'
-  HADOOP_OPTS="$HADOOP_OPTS $HADOOP_ROUTER_OPTS"
+  HADOOP_OPTS="$HADOOP_OPTS $HADOOP_DFSROUTER_OPTS"
 elif [ "$COMMAND" = "dfsrouteradmin" ] ; then
   CLASS='org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.tools.federation.RouterAdmin'
 elif [ "$COMMAND" = "haadmin" ] ; then
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/bin/hdfs.cmd b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/bin/hdfs.cmd
index a9a7852fa61..b91aec99d78 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/bin/hdfs.cmd
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/bin/hdfs.cmd
@@ -59,6 +59,14 @@ if "%1" == "--loglevel" (
     )
   )
 
+  if "%hdfs-command%" == "dfsrouter" (
+    if defined HADOOP_ROUTER_OPTS (
+      @echo WARNING: it looks like you're using a deprecated config HADOOP_ROUTER_OPTS.
+      @echo Please switch to HADOOP_DFSROUTER_OPTS.
+      set HADOOP_DFSROUTER_OPTS=%HADOOP_ROUTER_OPTS%
+    )
+  )
+
   set hdfscommands=dfs namenode secondarynamenode journalnode zkfc datanode dfsadmin haadmin fsck balancer jmxget oiv oev fetchdt getconf groups snapshotDiff lsSnapshottableDir cacheadmin mover storagepolicies classpath crypto dfsrouter dfsrouteradmin debug
   for %%i in ( %hdfscommands% ) do (
     if %hdfs-command% == %%i set hdfscommand=true
@@ -181,7 +189,7 @@ goto :eof
 
 :dfsrouter
   set CLASS=org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.server.federation.router.DFSRouter
-  set HADOOP_OPTS=%HADOOP_OPTS% %HADOOP_ROUTER_OPTS%
+  set HADOOP_OPTS=%HADOOP_OPTS% %HADOOP_DFSROUTER_OPTS%
   goto :eof
 
 :dfsrouteradmin