diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/DFSClient.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/DFSClient.java
index 72b2113943756..5da1512eb3e94 100755
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/DFSClient.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/DFSClient.java
@@ -2553,16 +2553,17 @@ void setQuota(String src, long namespaceQuota, long storagespaceQuota)
       throws IOException {
     checkOpen();
     // sanity check
-    if ((namespaceQuota <= 0 &&
-          namespaceQuota != HdfsConstants.QUOTA_DONT_SET &&
-          namespaceQuota != HdfsConstants.QUOTA_RESET) ||
-        (storagespaceQuota < 0 &&
+    if (namespaceQuota <= 0 &&
+            namespaceQuota != HdfsConstants.QUOTA_DONT_SET &&
+            namespaceQuota != HdfsConstants.QUOTA_RESET){
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid values for " +
+              "namespace quota : " + namespaceQuota);
+    }
+    if (storagespaceQuota < 0 &&
             storagespaceQuota != HdfsConstants.QUOTA_DONT_SET &&
-            storagespaceQuota != HdfsConstants.QUOTA_RESET)) {
-      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid values for quota : " +
-          namespaceQuota + " and " +
-          storagespaceQuota);
-
+            storagespaceQuota != HdfsConstants.QUOTA_RESET) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid values for " +
+              "storagespace quota : " + storagespaceQuota);
     }
     try (TraceScope ignored = newPathTraceScope("setQuota", src)) {
       // Pass null as storage type for traditional namespace/storagespace quota.
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/tools/DFSAdmin.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/tools/DFSAdmin.java
index 04960e3c3e2ce..15d9d4cf8d423 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/tools/DFSAdmin.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/tools/DFSAdmin.java
@@ -201,8 +201,19 @@ private static class SetQuotaCommand extends DFSAdminCommand {
       super(conf);
       CommandFormat c = new CommandFormat(2, Integer.MAX_VALUE);
       List<String> parameters = c.parse(args, pos);
-      this.quota =
-          StringUtils.TraditionalBinaryPrefix.string2long(parameters.remove(0));
+      String str = parameters.get(0).trim();
+      try {
+        this.quota = StringUtils.TraditionalBinaryPrefix
+                .string2long(parameters.remove(0));
+      } catch(NumberFormatException e){
+        throw new IllegalArgumentException("\"" + str +
+                "\" is not a valid value for a quota.");
+      }
+      if (HdfsConstants.QUOTA_DONT_SET == this.quota) {
+        throw new IllegalArgumentException("WARN: \"" + this.quota +
+                "\" means QUOTA_DONT_SET, quota will not be set, " +
+                "it keep the old values.");
+      }
       this.args = parameters.toArray(new String[parameters.size()]);
     }
     
@@ -323,6 +334,11 @@ private static class SetSpaceQuotaCommand extends DFSAdminCommand {
       } catch (NumberFormatException nfe) {
         throw new IllegalArgumentException("\"" + str + "\" is not a valid value for a quota.");
       }
+      if (HdfsConstants.QUOTA_DONT_SET == quota) {
+        throw new IllegalArgumentException("WARN: \"" + this.quota +
+                "\" means QUOTA_DONT_SET, quota will not be set, " +
+                "it keep the old values.");
+      }
       String storageTypeString =
           StringUtils.popOptionWithArgument("-storageType", parameters);
       if (storageTypeString != null) {
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/TestQuota.java b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/TestQuota.java
index 7754b53653cf4..65ec8b3e189b4 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/TestQuota.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/TestQuota.java
@@ -1216,6 +1216,81 @@ private void compareQuotaUsage(final QuotaUsage fromContentSummary,
     assertEquals(fromContentSummary, quotaUsage);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Test to set quote with warn msg.
+   */
+  @Test(timeout = 30000)
+  public void testSetQuotaWarningMsg() throws Exception {
+
+    final DFSAdmin dfsAdmin = new DFSAdmin(conf);
+    final Path dir = new Path(
+            PathUtils.getTestDir(getClass()).getPath(),
+            GenericTestUtils.getMethodName());
+    assertTrue(dfs.mkdirs(dir));
+
+    final List<String> outs = Lists.newArrayList();
+
+    /* set quota HdfsConstants.QUOTA_DONT_SET */
+    resetStream();
+    outs.clear();
+    final int ret = ToolRunner.run(
+            dfsAdmin,
+            new String[] {"-setQuota",
+                    String.valueOf(HdfsConstants.QUOTA_DONT_SET),
+                            dir.toString()});
+    assertEquals(-1, ret);
+    scanIntoList(ERR_STREAM, outs);
+    assertEquals(2, outs.size());
+    assertThat(outs.get(0),
+            is(allOf(containsString("WARN:"),
+                    containsString("means QUOTA_DONT_SET, quota will " +
+                            "not be set, it keep the old values."))));
+
+    final List<String> outs1 = Lists.newArrayList();
+    /* set quota 0 */
+    resetStream();
+    outs1.clear();
+    final int ret1 = ToolRunner.run(
+            dfsAdmin,
+            new String[] {"-setQuota", "0", dir.toString()});
+    assertEquals(-1, ret1);
+    scanIntoList(ERR_STREAM, outs1);
+    assertEquals(2, outs1.size());
+    assertThat(outs1.get(0),
+            is(allOf(containsString("setQuota"),
+                    containsString("Invalid values for namespace quota"))));
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Test to set quote with warn msg.
+   */
+  @Test(timeout = 30000)
+  public void testSetSpaceQuotaWarningMsg() throws Exception {
+
+    final DFSAdmin dfsAdmin = new DFSAdmin(conf);
+    final Path dir = new Path(
+            PathUtils.getTestDir(getClass()).getPath(),
+            GenericTestUtils.getMethodName());
+    assertTrue(dfs.mkdirs(dir));
+
+    final List<String> outs = Lists.newArrayList();
+
+    /* set quota HdfsConstants.QUOTA_DONT_SET */
+    resetStream();
+    outs.clear();
+    final int ret = ToolRunner.run(
+            dfsAdmin,
+            new String[] {"-setSpaceQuota",
+                    String.valueOf(HdfsConstants.QUOTA_DONT_SET),
+                            dir.toString()});
+    assertEquals(-1, ret);
+    scanIntoList(ERR_STREAM, outs);
+    assertEquals(2, outs.size());
+    assertThat(outs.get(0),
+            is(allOf(containsString("WARN:"),
+                    containsString("means QUOTA_DONT_SET, quota will " +
+                            "not be set, it keep the old values."))));
+  }
 
   /**
    * Test to set space quote using negative number.