diff --git a/hbase-rest/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/NamespacesInstanceResource.java b/hbase-rest/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/NamespacesInstanceResource.java
index 6533de13318..09c8f319e0c 100644
--- a/hbase-rest/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/NamespacesInstanceResource.java
+++ b/hbase-rest/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/NamespacesInstanceResource.java
@@ -136,35 +136,9 @@ public class NamespacesInstanceResource extends ResourceBase {
   @Consumes({MIMETYPE_XML, MIMETYPE_JSON, MIMETYPE_PROTOBUF,
     MIMETYPE_PROTOBUF_IETF})
   public Response put(final NamespacesInstanceModel model, final @Context UriInfo uriInfo) {
-    if (LOG.isTraceEnabled()) {
-      LOG.trace("PUT " + uriInfo.getAbsolutePath());
-    }
-    servlet.getMetrics().incrementRequests(1);
     return processUpdate(model, true, uriInfo);
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Build a response for PUT alter namespace with no properties specified.
-   * @param message value not used.
-   * @param headers value not used.
-   * @return response code.
-   */
-  @PUT
-  public Response putNoBody(final byte[] message,
-      final @Context UriInfo uriInfo, final @Context HttpHeaders headers) {
-    if (LOG.isTraceEnabled()) {
-      LOG.trace("PUT " + uriInfo.getAbsolutePath());
-    }
-    servlet.getMetrics().incrementRequests(1);
-    try{
-      NamespacesInstanceModel model = new NamespacesInstanceModel(namespace);
-      return processUpdate(model, true, uriInfo);
-    }catch(IOException ioe){
-      servlet.getMetrics().incrementFailedPutRequests(1);
-      throw new RuntimeException("Cannot retrieve info for '" + namespace + "'.");
-    }
-  }
-
   /**
    * Build a response for POST create namespace with properties specified.
    * @param model properties used for create.
@@ -176,39 +150,26 @@ public class NamespacesInstanceResource extends ResourceBase {
     MIMETYPE_PROTOBUF_IETF})
   public Response post(final NamespacesInstanceModel model,
       final @Context UriInfo uriInfo) {
-
-    if (LOG.isTraceEnabled()) {
-      LOG.trace("POST " + uriInfo.getAbsolutePath());
-    }
-    servlet.getMetrics().incrementRequests(1);
     return processUpdate(model, false, uriInfo);
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Build a response for POST create namespace with no properties specified.
-   * @param message value not used.
-   * @param headers value not used.
-   * @return response code.
-   */
-  @POST
-  public Response postNoBody(final byte[] message,
-      final @Context UriInfo uriInfo, final @Context HttpHeaders headers) {
-    if (LOG.isTraceEnabled()) {
-      LOG.trace("POST " + uriInfo.getAbsolutePath());
-    }
-    servlet.getMetrics().incrementRequests(1);
-    try{
-      NamespacesInstanceModel model = new NamespacesInstanceModel(namespace);
-      return processUpdate(model, false, uriInfo);
-    }catch(IOException ioe){
-      servlet.getMetrics().incrementFailedPutRequests(1);
-      throw new RuntimeException("Cannot retrieve info for '" + namespace + "'.");
-    }
-  }
 
   // Check that POST or PUT is valid and then update namespace.
-  private Response processUpdate(final NamespacesInstanceModel model, final boolean updateExisting,
+  private Response processUpdate(NamespacesInstanceModel model, final boolean updateExisting,
       final UriInfo uriInfo) {
+    if (LOG.isTraceEnabled()) {
+      LOG.trace((updateExisting ? "PUT " : "POST ") + uriInfo.getAbsolutePath());
+    }
+    if (model == null) {
+      try {
+        model = new NamespacesInstanceModel(namespace);
+      } catch(IOException ioe) {
+        servlet.getMetrics().incrementFailedPutRequests(1);
+        throw new RuntimeException("Cannot retrieve info for '" + namespace + "'.");
+      }
+    }
+    servlet.getMetrics().incrementRequests(1);
+
     if (servlet.isReadOnly()) {
       servlet.getMetrics().incrementFailedPutRequests(1);
       return Response.status(Response.Status.FORBIDDEN).type(MIMETYPE_TEXT)
@@ -266,7 +227,9 @@ public class NamespacesInstanceResource extends ResourceBase {
     }
 
     servlet.getMetrics().incrementSucessfulPutRequests(1);
-    return Response.created(uriInfo.getAbsolutePath()).build();
+
+    return updateExisting ? Response.ok(uriInfo.getAbsolutePath()).build() :
+      Response.created(uriInfo.getAbsolutePath()).build();
   }
 
   private boolean doesNamespaceExist(Admin admin, String namespaceName) throws IOException{
diff --git a/hbase-rest/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/model/NamespacesInstanceModel.java b/hbase-rest/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/model/NamespacesInstanceModel.java
index 022ec38d3bf..af3b0b067a4 100644
--- a/hbase-rest/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/model/NamespacesInstanceModel.java
+++ b/hbase-rest/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/model/NamespacesInstanceModel.java
@@ -166,4 +166,5 @@ public class NamespacesInstanceModel implements Serializable, ProtobufMessageHan
     }
     return this;
   }
+
 }
diff --git a/hbase-rest/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/TestNamespacesInstanceResource.java b/hbase-rest/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/TestNamespacesInstanceResource.java
index e0beeab4909..53eeecb4890 100644
--- a/hbase-rest/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/TestNamespacesInstanceResource.java
+++ b/hbase-rest/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/rest/TestNamespacesInstanceResource.java
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.rest.model.TestNamespacesInstanceModel;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.testclassification.MediumTests;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.testclassification.RestTests;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.util.Bytes;
+import org.apache.http.Header;
 import org.junit.AfterClass;
 import org.junit.BeforeClass;
 import org.junit.ClassRule;
@@ -329,6 +330,12 @@ public class TestNamespacesInstanceResource {
     jsonString = jsonMapper.writeValueAsString(model2);
     response = client.post(namespacePath2, Constants.MIMETYPE_JSON, Bytes.toBytes(jsonString));
     assertEquals(201, response.getCode());
+    //check passing null content-type with a payload returns 415
+    Header[] nullHeaders = null;
+    response = client.post(namespacePath1, nullHeaders, toXML(model1));
+    assertEquals(415, response.getCode());
+    response = client.post(namespacePath1, nullHeaders, Bytes.toBytes(jsonString));
+    assertEquals(415, response.getCode());
 
     // Check that created namespaces correctly.
     nd1 = findNamespace(admin, NAMESPACE1);
@@ -379,8 +386,12 @@ public class TestNamespacesInstanceResource {
     model4 = testNamespacesInstanceModel.buildTestModel(NAMESPACE4, NAMESPACE4_PROPS);
     testNamespacesInstanceModel.checkModel(model4, NAMESPACE4, NAMESPACE4_PROPS);
 
+    //Defines null headers for use in tests where no body content is provided, so that we set
+    // no content-type in the request
+    Header[] nullHeaders = null;
+
     // Test cannot PUT (alter) non-existent namespace.
-    response = client.put(namespacePath3, Constants.MIMETYPE_BINARY, new byte[]{});
+    response = client.put(namespacePath3, nullHeaders, new byte[]{});
     assertEquals(403, response.getCode());
     response = client.put(namespacePath4, Constants.MIMETYPE_PROTOBUF,
       model4.createProtobufOutput());
@@ -388,7 +399,7 @@ public class TestNamespacesInstanceResource {
 
     // Test cannot create tables when in read only mode.
     conf.set("hbase.rest.readonly", "true");
-    response = client.post(namespacePath3, Constants.MIMETYPE_BINARY, new byte[]{});
+    response = client.post(namespacePath3, nullHeaders, new byte[]{});
     assertEquals(403, response.getCode());
     response = client.put(namespacePath4, Constants.MIMETYPE_PROTOBUF,
       model4.createProtobufOutput());
@@ -399,12 +410,16 @@ public class TestNamespacesInstanceResource {
     assertNull(nd4);
     conf.set("hbase.rest.readonly", "false");
 
-    // Create namespace via no body and protobuf.
-    response = client.post(namespacePath3, Constants.MIMETYPE_BINARY, new byte[]{});
+    // Create namespace with no body and binary content type.
+    response = client.post(namespacePath3, nullHeaders, new byte[]{});
     assertEquals(201, response.getCode());
+    // Create namespace with protobuf content-type.
     response = client.post(namespacePath4, Constants.MIMETYPE_PROTOBUF,
       model4.createProtobufOutput());
     assertEquals(201, response.getCode());
+    //check setting unsupported content-type returns 415
+    response = client.post(namespacePath3, Constants.MIMETYPE_BINARY, new byte[]{});
+    assertEquals(415, response.getCode());
 
     // Check that created namespaces correctly.
     nd3 = findNamespace(admin, NAMESPACE3);
@@ -415,7 +430,7 @@ public class TestNamespacesInstanceResource {
     checkNamespaceProperties(nd4, NAMESPACE4_PROPS);
 
     // Check cannot post tables that already exist.
-    response = client.post(namespacePath3, Constants.MIMETYPE_BINARY, new byte[]{});
+    response = client.post(namespacePath3, nullHeaders, new byte[]{});
     assertEquals(403, response.getCode());
     response = client.post(namespacePath4, Constants.MIMETYPE_PROTOBUF,
       model4.createProtobufOutput());