diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HBaseTestingUtility.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HBaseTestingUtility.java
index bedd480cf1a..294f1826ed7 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HBaseTestingUtility.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/HBaseTestingUtility.java
@@ -1664,22 +1664,24 @@ public class HBaseTestingUtility extends HBaseCommonTestingUtility {
   // ==========================================================================
 
   /**
-   * Provide an existing table name to truncate
+   * Provide an existing table name to truncate.
+   * Scans the table and issues a delete for each row read.
    * @param tableName existing table
    * @return HTable to that new table
    * @throws IOException
    */
-  public HTable truncateTable(byte[] tableName) throws IOException {
-    return truncateTable(TableName.valueOf(tableName));
+  public HTable deleteTableData(byte[] tableName) throws IOException {
+    return deleteTableData(TableName.valueOf(tableName));
   }
 
   /**
-   * Provide an existing table name to truncate
+   * Provide an existing table name to truncate.
+   * Scans the table and issues a delete for each row read.
    * @param tableName existing table
    * @return HTable to that new table
    * @throws IOException
    */
-  public HTable truncateTable(TableName tableName) throws IOException {
+  public HTable deleteTableData(TableName tableName) throws IOException {
     HTable table = new HTable(getConfiguration(), tableName);
     Scan scan = new Scan();
     ResultScanner resScan = table.getScanner(scan);
@@ -1692,6 +1694,56 @@ public class HBaseTestingUtility extends HBaseCommonTestingUtility {
     return table;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Truncate a table using the admin command.
+   * Effectively disables, deletes, and recreates the table.
+   * @param tableName table which must exist.
+   * @param preserveRegions keep the existing split points
+   * @return HTable for the new table
+   */
+  public HTable truncateTable(final TableName tableName, final boolean preserveRegions) throws IOException {
+    Admin admin = getHBaseAdmin();
+    admin.truncateTable(tableName, preserveRegions);
+    return new HTable(getConfiguration(), tableName);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Truncate a table using the admin command.
+   * Effectively disables, deletes, and recreates the table.
+   * For previous behavior of issuing row deletes, see
+   * deleteTableData.
+   * Expressly does not preserve regions of existing table.
+   * @param tableName table which must exist.
+   * @return HTable for the new table
+   */
+  public HTable truncateTable(final TableName tableName) throws IOException {
+    return truncateTable(tableName, false);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Truncate a table using the admin command.
+   * Effectively disables, deletes, and recreates the table.
+   * @param tableName table which must exist.
+   * @param preserveRegions keep the existing split points
+   * @return HTable for the new table
+   */
+  public HTable truncateTable(final byte[] tableName, final boolean preserveRegions) throws IOException {
+    return truncateTable(TableName.valueOf(tableName), preserveRegions);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Truncate a table using the admin command.
+   * Effectively disables, deletes, and recreates the table.
+   * For previous behavior of issuing row deletes, see
+   * deleteTableData.
+   * Expressly does not preserve regions of existing table.
+   * @param tableName table which must exist.
+   * @return HTable for the new table
+   */
+  public HTable truncateTable(final byte[] tableName) throws IOException {
+    return truncateTable(tableName, false);
+  }
+
   /**
    * Load table with rows from 'aaa' to 'zzz'.
    * @param t Table
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/TestReplicationChangingPeerRegionservers.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/TestReplicationChangingPeerRegionservers.java
index 1d19f0de301..5a6c8fe78aa 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/TestReplicationChangingPeerRegionservers.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/TestReplicationChangingPeerRegionservers.java
@@ -61,9 +61,9 @@ public class TestReplicationChangingPeerRegionservers extends TestReplicationBas
                           utility1.getHBaseCluster().getRegionServerThreads()) {
       r.getRegionServer().getWAL().rollWriter();
     }
-    utility1.truncateTable(tableName);
+    utility1.deleteTableData(tableName);
     // truncating the table will send one Delete per row to the slave cluster
-    // in an async fashion, which is why we cannot just call truncateTable on
+    // in an async fashion, which is why we cannot just call deleteTableData on
     // utility2 since late writes could make it to the slave in some way.
     // Instead, we truncate the first table and wait for all the Deletes to
     // make it to the slave.
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/TestReplicationSmallTests.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/TestReplicationSmallTests.java
index f67ab1fc8b4..3134d2a2d63 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/TestReplicationSmallTests.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/TestReplicationSmallTests.java
@@ -75,9 +75,9 @@ public class TestReplicationSmallTests extends TestReplicationBase {
         utility1.getHBaseCluster().getRegionServerThreads()) {
       r.getRegionServer().getWAL().rollWriter();
     }
-    utility1.truncateTable(tableName);
+    utility1.deleteTableData(tableName);
     // truncating the table will send one Delete per row to the slave cluster
-    // in an async fashion, which is why we cannot just call truncateTable on
+    // in an async fashion, which is why we cannot just call deleteTableData on
     // utility2 since late writes could make it to the slave in some way.
     // Instead, we truncate the first table and wait for all the Deletes to
     // make it to the slave.
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/regionserver/TestReplicationSink.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/regionserver/TestReplicationSink.java
index 3a138e48840..646943ca2f5 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/regionserver/TestReplicationSink.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/replication/regionserver/TestReplicationSink.java
@@ -117,8 +117,8 @@ public class TestReplicationSink {
    */
   @Before
   public void setUp() throws Exception {
-    table1 = TEST_UTIL.truncateTable(TABLE_NAME1);
-    table2 = TEST_UTIL.truncateTable(TABLE_NAME2);
+    table1 = TEST_UTIL.deleteTableData(TABLE_NAME1);
+    table2 = TEST_UTIL.deleteTableData(TABLE_NAME2);
   }
 
   /**