diff --git a/go/master/client.go b/go/master/client.go
index 05383f1bf40c0e2b1f974e802ee8fd6aac109b00..a2ca3f3ef8ce300e3df09a302d74b56ee23c6d10 100644
--- a/go/master/client.go
+++ b/go/master/client.go
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ func (c *Client) getRecords() {
 		// We treat a task as finished whenever the last data
 		// instance of the task is read. This is not exactly
 		// correct, but a reasonable approximation.
-		c.taskFinished(t.ID)
+		c.taskFinished(t.Meta.ID)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -118,6 +118,11 @@ func (c *Client) taskFinished(taskID int) error {
 	return c.conn.Call("Service.TaskFinished", taskID, nil)
 }
 
+// TaskFailed tell the master server as task is failed.
+func (c *Client) taskFailed(meta TaskMeta) error {
+	return c.conn.Call("Service.TaskFailed", meta, nil)
+}
+
 // NextRecord returns next record in the dataset.
 //
 // NextRecord will block until the next record is available. It is
diff --git a/go/master/client_internal_test.go b/go/master/client_internal_test.go
index 364dce7b58cf6366af711bde9107559a762563a4..49263474c8fe2410ffb6db93a9647f5ab066b06b 100644
--- a/go/master/client_internal_test.go
+++ b/go/master/client_internal_test.go
@@ -95,10 +95,16 @@ func TestGetFinishTask(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatalf("Should get error, pass: %d\n", i)
 		}
 
-		err = c.taskFinished(tasks[0].ID)
+		err = c.taskFinished(tasks[0].Meta.ID)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Error: %v, pass: %d\n", err, i)
 		}
+
+		err = c.taskFailed(tasks[0].Meta)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Error: %v, pass: %d\n", err, i)
+		}
+
 		tasks = tasks[1:]
 		task, err := c.getTask()
 		if err != nil {
@@ -107,7 +113,7 @@ func TestGetFinishTask(t *testing.T) {
 		tasks = append(tasks, task)
 
 		for _, task := range tasks {
-			err = c.taskFinished(task.ID)
+			err = c.taskFinished(task.Meta.ID)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("Error: %v, pass: %d\n", err, i)
 			}
diff --git a/go/master/service.go b/go/master/service.go
index 58e68e744859933aa74cac231356d4ff9dfb8d7b..a6050ab99437244dade83f2943f6649453d47fff 100644
--- a/go/master/service.go
+++ b/go/master/service.go
@@ -31,30 +31,36 @@ type Chunk struct {
 	Index recordio.Index // chunk index
 }
 
+// TaskMeta is a struct which stores task's meta info.
+type TaskMeta struct {
+	ID    int
+	Epoch int
+}
+
 // Task is the basic unit of data instances assigned to trainers.
 type Task struct {
-	ID     int
+	Meta   TaskMeta
 	Chunks []Chunk
 }
 
 type taskEntry struct {
-	Epoch      int
-	NumTimeout int
-	Task       Task
+	Task Task
+	// A task fails if it's timeout or trainer reports it exits unnormally.
+	NumFailure int
 }
 
 type taskQueues struct {
 	Todo    []taskEntry
 	Pending map[int]taskEntry // map from task ID to task entry
 	Done    []taskEntry
-	Failed  []Task
+	Failed  []taskEntry
 }
 
 // Service is the master server service.
 type Service struct {
 	chunksPerTask int
 	timeoutDur    time.Duration
-	timeoutMax    int
+	failureMax    int
 	ready         chan struct{}
 	store         Store
 
@@ -73,7 +79,7 @@ func partition(chunks []Chunk, chunksPerTask int) []taskEntry {
 	var cur taskEntry
 	for i, c := range chunks {
 		if i%chunksPerTask == 0 && len(cur.Task.Chunks) > 0 {
-			cur.Task.ID = id
+			cur.Task.Meta.ID = id
 			id++
 			result = append(result, cur)
 			cur.Task.Chunks = nil
@@ -83,7 +89,7 @@ func partition(chunks []Chunk, chunksPerTask int) []taskEntry {
 	}
 
 	if len(cur.Task.Chunks) > 0 {
-		cur.Task.ID = id
+		cur.Task.Meta.ID = id
 		result = append(result, cur)
 	}
 
@@ -91,11 +97,11 @@ func partition(chunks []Chunk, chunksPerTask int) []taskEntry {
 }
 
 // NewService creates a new service.
-func NewService(store Store, chunksPerTask int, timeoutDur time.Duration, timeoutMax 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.timeoutMax = timeoutMax
+	s.failureMax = failureMax
 	s.taskQueues = taskQueues{}
 	s.taskQueues.Pending = make(map[int]taskEntry)
 	s.ready = make(chan struct{})
@@ -257,6 +263,34 @@ func (s *Service) SetDataset(globPaths []string, dummy *int) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (s *Service) processFailedTask(t taskEntry, epoch int) {
+	if t.Task.Meta.Epoch != epoch {
+		// new epoch, task launched after the
+		// schedule of this timeout check or failed status report.
+		return
+	}
+
+	defer func() {
+		err := s.snapshot()
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Errorln(err)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	delete(s.taskQueues.Pending, t.Task.Meta.ID)
+
+	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 failed %d times, discard.", t.Task, t.NumFailure)
+	s.taskQueues.Todo = append(s.taskQueues.Todo, t)
+	return
+}
+
 func (s *Service) checkTimeoutFunc(taskID int, epoch int) func() {
 	return func() {
 		s.mu.Lock()
@@ -267,30 +301,7 @@ func (s *Service) checkTimeoutFunc(taskID int, epoch int) func() {
 			return
 		}
 
-		if t.Epoch != epoch {
-			// new epoch, task launched after the
-			// schedule of this timeout check.
-			return
-		}
-
-		defer func() {
-			err := s.snapshot()
-			if err != nil {
-				log.Errorln(err)
-			}
-		}()
-
-		delete(s.taskQueues.Pending, t.Task.ID)
-
-		t.NumTimeout++
-		if t.NumTimeout > s.timeoutMax {
-			log.Warningf("Task %v timed out %d times, discard.", t.Task, t.NumTimeout)
-			s.taskQueues.Failed = append(s.taskQueues.Failed, t.Task)
-			return
-		}
-
-		log.Warningf("Task %v timed out %d times, retry.", t.Task, t.NumTimeout)
-		s.taskQueues.Todo = append(s.taskQueues.Todo, t)
+		s.processFailedTask(t, epoch)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -339,18 +350,18 @@ func (s *Service) GetTask(dummy int, task *Task) error {
 	}
 
 	t := s.taskQueues.Todo[0]
-	t.Epoch++
+	t.Task.Meta.Epoch++
 	s.taskQueues.Todo = s.taskQueues.Todo[1:]
-	s.taskQueues.Pending[t.Task.ID] = t
+	s.taskQueues.Pending[t.Task.Meta.ID] = t
 	err := s.snapshot()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
 	*task = t.Task
-	log.WithFields(s.logFields()).Infof("Task #%d dispatched.", task.ID)
+	log.WithFields(s.logFields()).Infof("Task #%v dispatched.", t.Task.Meta)
 
-	time.AfterFunc(s.timeoutDur, s.checkTimeoutFunc(t.Task.ID, t.Epoch))
+	time.AfterFunc(s.timeoutDur, s.checkTimeoutFunc(t.Task.Meta.ID, t.Task.Meta.Epoch))
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -365,13 +376,12 @@ func (s *Service) TaskFinished(taskID int, dummy *int) error {
 
 	t, ok := s.taskQueues.Pending[taskID]
 	if !ok {
-		err := errors.New("pending task not found")
 		log.WithFields(s.logFields()).Warningln("Pending task #%d not found.", taskID)
-		return err
+		return nil
 	}
 
 	// task finished, reset timeout
-	t.NumTimeout = 0
+	t.NumFailure = 0
 	s.taskQueues.Done = append(s.taskQueues.Done, t)
 	delete(s.taskQueues.Pending, taskID)
 
@@ -389,3 +399,22 @@ func (s *Service) TaskFinished(taskID int, dummy *int) error {
 	}
 	return err
 }
+
+// TaskFailed tells the service that a task is failed.
+func (s *Service) TaskFailed(meta TaskMeta, dummy *int) error {
+	select {
+	case <-s.ready:
+	}
+
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+
+	t, ok := s.taskQueues.Pending[meta.ID]
+	if !ok {
+		log.WithFields(s.logFields()).Warningln("TaskFailed:Pending task #%v not found.", t.Task.Meta)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	s.processFailedTask(t, meta.Epoch)
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/go/master/service_internal_test.go b/go/master/service_internal_test.go
index bc435b505c014ca13ed5fc16b33a21ebb089a3b7..9c0d1d0a39fc8cb2b29fd0e3a4ba0c9b255f80fb 100644
--- a/go/master/service_internal_test.go
+++ b/go/master/service_internal_test.go
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ func TestPartionIndex(t *testing.T) {
 	cs := make([]Chunk, 100)
 	ts := partition(cs, 20)
 	for i := range ts {
-		if ts[i].Task.ID != i {
+		if ts[i].Task.Meta.ID != i {
 			t.Error(ts[i], i)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/go/pserver/client/client_test.go b/go/pserver/client/client_test.go
index 29b400812c9dc3a5f44700eacbf7ba043248f2f2..2b72a202b55eab4b0e9107b93807f3ceea95f099 100644
--- a/go/pserver/client/client_test.go
+++ b/go/pserver/client/client_test.go
@@ -42,7 +42,8 @@ func initClient() [numPserver]int {
 		ports[i] = p
 
 		go func(l net.Listener) {
-			s, err := pserver.NewService(0)
+			var cp pserver.Checkpoint
+			s, err := pserver.NewService(0, 1, "", nil, cp)
 			if err != nil {
 				panic(err)
 			}
@@ -174,7 +175,7 @@ func TestNativeClient(t *testing.T) {
 // TODO: tmperary disable etcdClient test for dependency of etcd)
 func EtcdClient(t *testing.T) {
 	initEtcdClient()
-	etcd_client := client.NewEtcd(etcdEndpoints)
-	c2 := client.NewClient(etcd_client, etcd_client.Desired(), selector(true))
+	etcdClient := client.NewEtcd(etcdEndpoints)
+	c2 := client.NewClient(etcdClient, etcdClient.Desired(), selector(true))
 	ClientTest(t, c2)
 }