diff --git a/go/master/service.go b/go/master/service.go
index c47319317ad7c086ff4832da1636a978ee94aacf..29ff63bcc90dbcd81af9771d39d443500ac79cb1 100644
--- a/go/master/service.go
+++ b/go/master/service.go
@@ -39,9 +39,9 @@ type Task struct {
 }
 
 type taskEntry struct {
-	NumTimeout int
-	Task       Task
-	NumFailed  int
+	Task Task
+	// A task fails if it's timeout or trainer reports it exits unnormally.
+	NumFailure int
 }
 
 type taskQueues struct {
@@ -53,11 +53,11 @@ type taskQueues struct {
 
 // Service is the master server service.
 type Service struct {
-	chunksPerTask    int
-	timeoutDur       time.Duration
-	failortimeoutMax int
-	ready            chan struct{}
-	store            Store
+	chunksPerTask int
+	timeoutDur    time.Duration
+	failureMax    int
+	ready         chan struct{}
+	store         Store
 
 	mu         sync.Mutex
 	initDone   bool
@@ -92,11 +92,11 @@ func partition(chunks []Chunk, chunksPerTask int) []taskEntry {
 }
 
 // NewService creates a new service.
-func NewService(store Store, chunksPerTask int, timeoutDur time.Duration, failortimeoutMax int) (*Service, error) {
+func NewService(store Store, chunksPerTask int, timeoutDur time.Duration, failureMax int) (*Service, error) {
 	s := &Service{}
 	s.chunksPerTask = chunksPerTask
 	s.timeoutDur = timeoutDur
-	s.failortimeoutMax = failortimeoutMax
+	s.failureMax = failureMax
 	s.taskQueues = taskQueues{}
 	s.taskQueues.Pending = make(map[int]taskEntry)
 	s.ready = make(chan struct{})
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ func (s *Service) SetDataset(globPaths []string, dummy *int) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (s *Service) checkTaskStatus(t taskEntry, epoch int) {
+func (s *Service) procFailedTask(t taskEntry, epoch int) {
 	if t.Task.Epoch != epoch {
 		// new epoch, task launched after the
 		// schedule of this timeout check or failed status report.
@@ -274,14 +274,14 @@ func (s *Service) checkTaskStatus(t taskEntry, epoch int) {
 
 	delete(s.taskQueues.Pending, t.Task.ID)
 
-	t.NumTimeout++
-	if t.NumTimeout+t.NumFailed > s.failortimeoutMax {
-		log.Warningf("Task %v timed out %d times and failed %d times, discard.", t.Task, t.NumTimeout, t.NumFailed)
+	t.NumFailure++
+	if t.NumFailure > s.failureMax {
+		log.Warningf("Task %v failed %d times, discard.", t.Task, t.NumFailure)
 		s.taskQueues.Failed = append(s.taskQueues.Failed, t)
 		return
 	}
 
-	log.Warningf("Task %v timed out %d times and failed %d times, discard.", t.Task, t.NumTimeout, t.NumFailed)
+	log.Warningf("Task %v failed %d times, discard.", t.Task, t.NumFailure)
 	s.taskQueues.Todo = append(s.taskQueues.Todo, t)
 	return
 }
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ func (s *Service) checkTimeoutFunc(taskID int, epoch int) func() {
 			return
 		}
 
-		s.checkTaskStatus(t, epoch)
+		s.procFailedTask(t, epoch)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -377,8 +377,7 @@ func (s *Service) TaskFinished(taskID int, dummy *int) error {
 	}
 
 	// task finished, reset timeout
-	t.NumTimeout = 0
-	t.NumFailed = 0
+	t.NumFailure = 0
 	s.taskQueues.Done = append(s.taskQueues.Done, t)
 	delete(s.taskQueues.Pending, taskID)
 
@@ -413,6 +412,6 @@ func (s *Service) TaskFailed(taskID int, epoch int) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	s.checkTaskStatus(t, epoch)
+	s.procFailedTask(t, epoch)
 	return nil
 }