diff --git a/doc/api.markdown b/doc/api.markdown
index 677af4f90d..f80b8fa4f6 100644
--- a/doc/api.markdown
+++ b/doc/api.markdown
@@ -2196,6 +2196,15 @@ Stops the server from accepting new connections. This function is
 asynchronous, the server is finally closed when the server emits a `'close'`
 event.
 
+### server.maxConnections
+
+Set this property to reject connections when the server's connection count gets high.
+
+### server.connections
+
+The number of concurrent connections on the server.
+
+
 
 ## net.Stream
 
diff --git a/lib/net.js b/lib/net.js
index 3469e82606..2349bc1909 100644
--- a/lib/net.js
+++ b/lib/net.js
@@ -220,29 +220,6 @@ var ioWatchers = new FreeList("iowatcher", 100, function () {
 });
 
 
-// waitingForFDs stores servers which have experienced EMFILE.
-// When a file descriptor becomes available through closeFD()
-// a server from waitingForFDs is started.
-
-var waitingForFDs = [];
-
-function closeFD(fd) {
-  close(fd);
-
-  // Try to recover from EMFILE
-
-  var server, serverFD;
-  while (server = waitingForFDs.shift()) {
-    serverFD = parseInt(server.fd);
-    if (serverFD && serverFD > 0) {
-      server.watcher.set(serverFD, true, false);
-      server.watcher.start();
-      return;
-    }
-  }
-}
-
-
 // Allocated on demand.
 var pool = null;
 function allocNewPool () {
@@ -997,9 +974,13 @@ Stream.prototype.destroy = function (exception) {
     this.secureStream.close();
   }
 
+  if (this.server) {
+    this.server.connections--;
+  }
+
   // FIXME Bug when this.fd == 0
   if (typeof this.fd == 'number') {
-    closeFD(this.fd);
+    close(this.fd);
     this.fd = null;
     process.nextTick(function () {
       if (exception) self.emit('error', exception);
@@ -1058,6 +1039,8 @@ function Server (listener) {
     self.addListener('connection', listener);
   }
 
+  self.connections = 0;
+
   self.watcher = new IOWatcher();
   self.watcher.host = self;
   self.watcher.callback = function () {
@@ -1065,15 +1048,19 @@ function Server (listener) {
       try {
         var peerInfo = accept(self.fd);
       } catch (e) {
-        if (e.errno == EMFILE) {
-          waitingForFDs.push(self);
-          self.watcher.stop();
-          return;
-        }
+        if (e.errno == EMFILE) return;
         throw e;
       }
       if (!peerInfo) return;
 
+      if (self.maxConnections && self.connections >= self.maxConnections) {
+        // Accept and close the connection.
+        close(peerInfo.fd);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      self.connections++;
+
       var s = new Stream(peerInfo.fd, self.type);
       s.remoteAddress = peerInfo.address;
       s.remotePort = peerInfo.port;
@@ -1209,7 +1196,7 @@ Server.prototype.close = function () {
 
   self.watcher.stop();
 
-  closeFD(self.fd);
+  close(self.fd);
   self.fd = null;
 
   if (self.type === "unix") {
diff --git a/test/simple/test-net-pingpong.js b/test/simple/test-net-pingpong.js
index f00d652810..5db5e127e3 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-net-pingpong.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-net-pingpong.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ function pingPongTest (port, host) {
   var server = net.createServer(function (socket) {
     console.log("connection: " + socket.remoteAddress);
     assert.equal(server, socket.server);
+    assert.equal(1, server.connections);
 
     socket.setNoDelay();
     socket.timeout = 0;
diff --git a/test/simple/test-net-server-max-connections.js b/test/simple/test-net-server-max-connections.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..daf516d567
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/simple/test-net-server-max-connections.js
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+common = require("../common");
+assert = common.assert;
+net = require('net');
+
+// This test creates 200 connections to a server and sets the server's
+// maxConnections property to 100. The first 100 connections make it through
+// and the last 100 connections are rejected.
+// TODO: test that the server can accept more connections after it reaches
+// its maximum and some are closed.
+
+N = 200;
+count = 0;
+closes = 0;
+waits = [];
+
+server = net.createServer(function (connection) {
+  console.error("connect %d", count++);
+  connection.write("hello");
+  waits.push(function () { connection.end(); });
+});
+
+server.listen(common.PORT, function () {
+  for (var i = 0; i < N; i++) {
+    makeConnection(i);
+  }
+});
+
+server.maxConnections = N/2;
+
+console.error("server.maxConnections = %d", server.maxConnections);
+
+
+function makeConnection (index) {
+  setTimeout(function () {
+    var c = net.createConnection(common.PORT);
+    var gotData = false;
+
+    c.on('end', function () { c.end(); });
+
+    c.on('data', function (b) {
+      gotData = true;
+      assert.ok(0 < b.length);
+    });
+
+    c.on('error', function (e) {
+      console.error("error %d: %s", index, e);
+    });
+
+    c.on('close', function () {
+      console.error("closed %d", index);
+      closes++;
+
+      if (closes < N/2) {
+        assert.ok(server.maxConnections <= index, 
+            index + " was one of the first closed connections but shouldnt have been");
+      }
+
+      if (closes === N/2) {
+        var cb;
+        console.error("calling wait callback.");
+        while (cb = waits.shift()) {
+          cb();
+        }
+        server.close();
+      }
+
+      if (index < server.maxConnections) {
+        assert.equal(true, gotData, index + " didn't get data, but should have");
+      } else {
+        assert.equal(false, gotData, index + " got data, but shouldn't have");
+      }
+    });
+  }, index);
+}
+
+
+process.on('exit', function () {
+  assert.equal(N, closes);
+});