diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/ipc/BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/ipc/BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.java
index 3dc48ce3e00..6f8339895b5 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/ipc/BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/ipc/BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.java
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ import org.apache.hbase.thirdparty.io.netty.channel.ChannelPromise;
 @InterfaceAudience.Private
 class BufferCallBeforeInitHandler extends ChannelDuplexHandler {
 
+  static final String NAME = "BufferCall";
+
   private enum BufferCallAction {
     FLUSH,
     FAIL
@@ -77,6 +79,11 @@ class BufferCallBeforeInitHandler extends ChannelDuplexHandler {
     }
   }
 
+  @Override
+  public void flush(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
+    // do not flush anything out
+  }
+
   @Override
   public void userEventTriggered(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, Object evt) throws Exception {
     if (evt instanceof BufferCallEvent) {
diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/ipc/NettyRpcConnection.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/ipc/NettyRpcConnection.java
index 81a61d77263..b1aeef72509 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/ipc/NettyRpcConnection.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/ipc/NettyRpcConnection.java
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ import org.apache.hbase.thirdparty.io.netty.buffer.Unpooled;
 import org.apache.hbase.thirdparty.io.netty.channel.Channel;
 import org.apache.hbase.thirdparty.io.netty.channel.ChannelFuture;
 import org.apache.hbase.thirdparty.io.netty.channel.ChannelFutureListener;
-import org.apache.hbase.thirdparty.io.netty.channel.ChannelHandler;
+import org.apache.hbase.thirdparty.io.netty.channel.ChannelInitializer;
 import org.apache.hbase.thirdparty.io.netty.channel.ChannelOption;
 import org.apache.hbase.thirdparty.io.netty.channel.ChannelPipeline;
 import org.apache.hbase.thirdparty.io.netty.channel.EventLoop;
@@ -152,14 +152,14 @@ class NettyRpcConnection extends RpcConnection {
 
   private void established(Channel ch) throws IOException {
     assert eventLoop.inEventLoop();
-    ChannelPipeline p = ch.pipeline();
-    String addBeforeHandler = p.context(BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.class).name();
-    p.addBefore(addBeforeHandler, null,
-      new IdleStateHandler(0, rpcClient.minIdleTimeBeforeClose, 0, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS));
-    p.addBefore(addBeforeHandler, null, new LengthFieldBasedFrameDecoder(Integer.MAX_VALUE, 0, 4));
-    p.addBefore(addBeforeHandler, null,
-      new NettyRpcDuplexHandler(this, rpcClient.cellBlockBuilder, codec, compressor));
-    p.fireUserEventTriggered(BufferCallEvent.success());
+    ch.pipeline()
+      .addBefore(BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.NAME, null,
+        new IdleStateHandler(0, rpcClient.minIdleTimeBeforeClose, 0, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
+      .addBefore(BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.NAME, null,
+        new LengthFieldBasedFrameDecoder(Integer.MAX_VALUE, 0, 4))
+      .addBefore(BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.NAME, null,
+        new NettyRpcDuplexHandler(this, rpcClient.cellBlockBuilder, codec, compressor))
+      .fireUserEventTriggered(BufferCallEvent.success());
   }
 
   private boolean reloginInProgress;
@@ -212,7 +212,8 @@ class NettyRpcConnection extends RpcConnection {
       failInit(ch, e);
       return;
     }
-    ch.pipeline().addFirst(new SaslChallengeDecoder(), saslHandler);
+    ch.pipeline().addBefore(BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.NAME, null, new SaslChallengeDecoder())
+      .addBefore(BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.NAME, null, saslHandler);
     saslPromise.addListener(new FutureListener<Boolean>() {
 
       @Override
@@ -226,20 +227,22 @@ class NettyRpcConnection extends RpcConnection {
           if (saslHandler.isNeedProcessConnectionHeader()) {
             Promise<Boolean> connectionHeaderPromise = ch.eventLoop().newPromise();
             // create the handler to handle the connection header
-            ChannelHandler chHandler = new NettyHBaseRpcConnectionHeaderHandler(
-              connectionHeaderPromise, conf, connectionHeaderWithLength);
+            NettyHBaseRpcConnectionHeaderHandler chHandler =
+              new NettyHBaseRpcConnectionHeaderHandler(connectionHeaderPromise, conf,
+                connectionHeaderWithLength);
 
             // add ReadTimeoutHandler to deal with server doesn't response connection header
             // because of the different configuration in client side and server side
-            p.addFirst(
-              new ReadTimeoutHandler(RpcClient.DEFAULT_SOCKET_TIMEOUT_READ, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS));
-            p.addLast(chHandler);
+            final String readTimeoutHandlerName = "ReadTimeout";
+            p.addBefore(BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.NAME, readTimeoutHandlerName,
+              new ReadTimeoutHandler(RpcClient.DEFAULT_SOCKET_TIMEOUT_READ, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
+              .addBefore(BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.NAME, null, chHandler);
             connectionHeaderPromise.addListener(new FutureListener<Boolean>() {
               @Override
               public void operationComplete(Future<Boolean> future) throws Exception {
                 if (future.isSuccess()) {
                   ChannelPipeline p = ch.pipeline();
-                  p.remove(ReadTimeoutHandler.class);
+                  p.remove(readTimeoutHandlerName);
                   p.remove(NettyHBaseRpcConnectionHeaderHandler.class);
                   // don't send connection header, NettyHbaseRpcConnectionHeaderHandler
                   // sent it already
@@ -273,8 +276,15 @@ class NettyRpcConnection extends RpcConnection {
       .option(ChannelOption.TCP_NODELAY, rpcClient.isTcpNoDelay())
       .option(ChannelOption.SO_KEEPALIVE, rpcClient.tcpKeepAlive)
       .option(ChannelOption.CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MILLIS, rpcClient.connectTO)
-      .handler(new BufferCallBeforeInitHandler()).localAddress(rpcClient.localAddr)
-      .remoteAddress(remoteId.address).connect().addListener(new ChannelFutureListener() {
+      .handler(new ChannelInitializer<Channel>() {
+
+        @Override
+        protected void initChannel(Channel ch) throws Exception {
+          ch.pipeline().addLast(BufferCallBeforeInitHandler.NAME,
+            new BufferCallBeforeInitHandler());
+        }
+      }).localAddress(rpcClient.localAddr).remoteAddress(remoteId.address).connect()
+      .addListener(new ChannelFutureListener() {
 
         @Override
         public void operationComplete(ChannelFuture future) throws Exception {