diff --git a/CHANGES.txt b/CHANGES.txt
index 392aee85856..0551d4b2426 100644
--- a/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/CHANGES.txt
@@ -204,6 +204,9 @@ API Changes
     remove an old lock.  The default implementation is to ask the
     lockFactory (if non null) to clear the lock.  (Mike McCandless)
 
+19. LUCENE-795: Directory.renameFile() has been deprecated as it is
+    not used anymore inside Lucene.  (Daniel Naber)
+
 Bug fixes
 
  1. Fixed the web application demo (built with "ant war-demo") which
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/Directory.java b/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/Directory.java
index 158a7a47706..b7fbe0cd1e8 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/Directory.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/Directory.java
@@ -63,8 +63,10 @@ public abstract class Directory {
        throws IOException;
 
   /** Renames an existing file in the directory.
-    If a file already exists with the new name, then it is replaced.
-    This replacement should be atomic. */
+   * If a file already exists with the new name, then it is replaced.
+   * This replacement is not guaranteed to be atomic.
+   * @deprecated 
+   */
   public abstract void renameFile(String from, String to)
        throws IOException;
 
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/FSDirectory.java b/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/FSDirectory.java
index d93f94a3b2c..37889d61d45 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/FSDirectory.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/FSDirectory.java
@@ -351,7 +351,10 @@ public class FSDirectory extends Directory {
       throw new IOException("Cannot delete " + file);
   }
 
-  /** Renames an existing file in the directory. */
+  /** Renames an existing file in the directory. 
+   * Warning: This is not atomic.
+   * @deprecated 
+   */
   public synchronized void renameFile(String from, String to)
       throws IOException {
     File old = new File(directory, from);
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/RAMDirectory.java b/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/RAMDirectory.java
index d1640ab4603..8c2e0338478 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/RAMDirectory.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/lucene/store/RAMDirectory.java
@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.Serializable;
-import java.util.Collection;
-import java.util.Enumeration;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.Set;
@@ -185,8 +183,9 @@ public class RAMDirectory extends Directory implements Serializable {
       throw new FileNotFoundException(name);
   }
 
-  /** Removes an existing file in the directory.
-   * @throws IOException if from does not exist
+  /** Renames an existing file in the directory.
+   * @throws FileNotFoundException if from does not exist
+   * @deprecated
    */
   public synchronized final void renameFile(String from, String to) throws IOException {
     RAMFile fromFile = (RAMFile)fileMap.get(from);