diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
index 427e7a35ae4..2f43b3f3474 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/CHANGES.txt
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ Release 2.7.2 - UNRELEASED
     YARN-3857: Memory leak in ResourceManager with SIMPLE mode.
     (mujunchao via zxu)
 
+    YARN-3893. Both RM in active state when Admin#transitionToActive failure 
+    from refeshAll() (Bibin A Chundatt via rohithsharmaks)
+
 Release 2.7.1 - 2015-07-06
 
   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/AdminService.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/AdminService.java
index e9141d33f19..11ddf81f3e9 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/AdminService.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/AdminService.java
@@ -285,6 +285,7 @@ public class AdminService extends CompositeService implements
     }
   }
 
+  @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
   @Override
   public synchronized void transitionToActive(
       HAServiceProtocol.StateChangeRequestInfo reqInfo) throws IOException {
@@ -300,10 +301,6 @@ public class AdminService extends CompositeService implements
     checkHaStateChange(reqInfo);
     try {
       rm.transitionToActive();
-      // call all refresh*s for active RM to get the updated configurations.
-      refreshAll();
-      RMAuditLogger.logSuccess(user.getShortUserName(),
-          "transitionToActive", "RMHAProtocolService");
     } catch (Exception e) {
       RMAuditLogger.logFailure(user.getShortUserName(), "transitionToActive",
           "", "RMHAProtocolService",
@@ -311,6 +308,21 @@ public class AdminService extends CompositeService implements
       throw new ServiceFailedException(
           "Error when transitioning to Active mode", e);
     }
+    try {
+      // call all refresh*s for active RM to get the updated configurations.
+      refreshAll();
+    } catch (Exception e) {
+      LOG.error("RefreshAll failed so firing fatal event", e);
+      rmContext
+          .getDispatcher()
+          .getEventHandler()
+          .handle(
+          new RMFatalEvent(RMFatalEventType.TRANSITION_TO_ACTIVE_FAILED, e));
+      throw new ServiceFailedException(
+          "Error on refreshAll during transistion to Active", e);
+    }
+    RMAuditLogger.logSuccess(user.getShortUserName(), "transitionToActive",
+        "RMHAProtocolService");
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/RMFatalEventType.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/RMFatalEventType.java
index 789c0183449..87cc4965e84 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/RMFatalEventType.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/RMFatalEventType.java
@@ -26,5 +26,8 @@ public enum RMFatalEventType {
   STATE_STORE_OP_FAILED,
 
   // Source <- Embedded Elector
-  EMBEDDED_ELECTOR_FAILED
+  EMBEDDED_ELECTOR_FAILED,
+
+  // Source <- Admin Service
+  TRANSITION_TO_ACTIVE_FAILED
 }
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestRMHA.java b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestRMHA.java
index 0200e858ac2..62cfe848f2e 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestRMHA.java
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/yarn/server/resourcemanager/TestRMHA.java
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.service.AbstractService;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.conf.HAUtil;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.conf.YarnConfiguration;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.event.Dispatcher;
+import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.event.DrainDispatcher;
+import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.event.Event;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.event.EventHandler;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.exceptions.YarnRuntimeException;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.recovery.records.ApplicationStateData;
@@ -52,6 +54,7 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.rmapp.RMApp;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.rmapp.attempt.RMAppAttempt;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.rmapp.attempt.RMAppAttemptState;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.scheduler.QueueMetrics;
+import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.server.resourcemanager.scheduler.capacity.CapacitySchedulerConfiguration;
 import org.codehaus.jettison.json.JSONException;
 import org.codehaus.jettison.json.JSONObject;
 import org.junit.Assert;
@@ -577,6 +580,56 @@ public class TestRMHA {
     assertEquals(0, rm.getRMContext().getRMApps().size());
   }
 
+  @Test(timeout = 90000)
+  public void testTransitionedToActiveRefreshFail() throws Exception {
+    configuration.setBoolean(YarnConfiguration.AUTO_FAILOVER_ENABLED, false);
+    YarnConfiguration conf = new YarnConfiguration(configuration);
+    configuration = new CapacitySchedulerConfiguration(conf);
+    rm = new MockRM(configuration) {
+      @Override
+      protected AdminService createAdminService() {
+        return new AdminService(this, getRMContext()) {
+          @Override
+          protected void setConfig(Configuration conf) {
+            super.setConfig(configuration);
+          }
+        };
+      }
+
+      @Override
+      protected Dispatcher createDispatcher() {
+        return new FailFastDispatcher();
+      }
+    };
+
+    rm.init(configuration);
+    rm.start();
+    final StateChangeRequestInfo requestInfo =
+        new StateChangeRequestInfo(
+            HAServiceProtocol.RequestSource.REQUEST_BY_USER);
+
+    configuration.set("yarn.scheduler.capacity.root.default.capacity", "100");
+    rm.adminService.transitionToStandby(requestInfo);
+    assertEquals(HAServiceState.STANDBY, rm.getRMContext().getHAServiceState());
+    configuration.set("yarn.scheduler.capacity.root.default.capacity", "200");
+    try {
+      rm.adminService.transitionToActive(requestInfo);
+    } catch (Exception e) {
+      assertTrue("Error on refreshAll during transistion to Active".contains(e
+          .getMessage()));
+    }
+    FailFastDispatcher dispatcher =
+        ((FailFastDispatcher) rm.rmContext.getDispatcher());
+    dispatcher.await();
+    assertEquals(1, dispatcher.getEventCount());
+    // Making correct conf and check the state
+    configuration.set("yarn.scheduler.capacity.root.default.capacity", "100");
+    rm.adminService.transitionToActive(requestInfo);
+    assertEquals(HAServiceState.ACTIVE, rm.getRMContext().getHAServiceState());
+    rm.adminService.transitionToStandby(requestInfo);
+    assertEquals(HAServiceState.STANDBY, rm.getRMContext().getHAServiceState());
+  }
+
   public void innerTestHAWithRMHostName(boolean includeBindHost) {
     //this is run two times, with and without a bind host configured
     if (includeBindHost) {
@@ -713,4 +766,22 @@ public class TestRMHA {
       return this.stopped;
     }
   }
+
+  class FailFastDispatcher extends DrainDispatcher {
+    int eventreceived = 0;
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
+    @Override
+    protected void dispatch(Event event) {
+      if (event.getType() == RMFatalEventType.TRANSITION_TO_ACTIVE_FAILED) {
+        eventreceived++;
+      } else {
+        super.dispatch(event);
+      }
+    }
+
+    public int getEventCount() {
+      return eventreceived;
+    }
+  }
 }