diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioClientSocketPipelineSink.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioClientSocketPipelineSink.java
index d17ee6e60c..4ab4ecb537 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioClientSocketPipelineSink.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/channel/socket/nio/NioClientSocketPipelineSink.java
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import java.nio.channels.ClosedChannelException;
 import java.nio.channels.SelectionKey;
 import java.nio.channels.Selector;
 import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.Queue;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelStateEvent;
 import org.jboss.netty.channel.MessageEvent;
 import org.jboss.netty.logging.InternalLogger;
 import org.jboss.netty.logging.InternalLoggerFactory;
+import org.jboss.netty.util.LinkedTransferQueue;
 import org.jboss.netty.util.ThreadRenamingRunnable;
 
 /**
@@ -167,55 +169,61 @@ class NioClientSocketPipelineSink extends AbstractChannelSink {
 
     private final class Boss implements Runnable {
 
-        private final AtomicBoolean started = new AtomicBoolean();
-        private volatile Selector selector;
-        private final Object selectorGuard = new Object();
+        volatile Selector selector;
+        private boolean started;
+        private final AtomicBoolean wakenUp = new AtomicBoolean();
+        private final Object startStopLock = new Object();
+        private final Queue<Runnable> registerTaskQueue = new LinkedTransferQueue<Runnable>();
 
         Boss() {
             super();
         }
 
         void register(NioSocketChannel channel) {
-            // FIXME: Infinite loop on selector creation failure.
-            // Apply the same fix with what's applied in NioWorker.register()
-            boolean firstChannel = started.compareAndSet(false, true);
+            Runnable registerTask = new RegisterTask(this, channel);
             Selector selector;
-            if (firstChannel) {
-                try {
-                    this.selector = selector = Selector.open();
-                } catch (IOException e) {
-                    throw new ChannelException(
-                            "Failed to create a selector.", e);
-                }
-            } else {
-                selector = this.selector;
-                if (selector == null) {
-                    do {
-                        Thread.yield();
-                        selector = this.selector;
-                    } while (selector == null);
+
+            synchronized (startStopLock) {
+                if (!started) {
+                    // Open a selector if this worker didn't start yet.
+                    try {
+                        this.selector = selector =  Selector.open();
+                    } catch (Throwable t) {
+                        throw new ChannelException(
+                                "Failed to create a selector.", t);
+                    }
+
+                    // Start the worker thread with the new Selector.
+                    boolean success = false;
+                    try {
+                        bossExecutor.execute(new ThreadRenamingRunnable(
+                                this, "New I/O client boss #" + id));
+                        success = true;
+                    } finally {
+                        if (!success) {
+                            // Release the Selector if the execution fails.
+                            try {
+                                selector.close();
+                            } catch (Throwable t) {
+                                logger.warn("Failed to close a selector.", t);
+                            }
+                            this.selector = selector = null;
+                            // The method will return to the caller at this point.
+                        }
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    // Use the existing selector if this worker has been started.
+                    selector = this.selector;
                 }
+
+                assert selector != null && selector.isOpen();
+
+                started = true;
+                registerTaskQueue.offer(registerTask);
             }
 
-            if (firstChannel) {
-                try {
-                    channel.socket.register(selector, SelectionKey.OP_CONNECT, channel);
-                } catch (ClosedChannelException e) {
-                    throw new ChannelException(
-                            "Failed to register a socket to the selector.", e);
-                }
-                bossExecutor.execute(new ThreadRenamingRunnable(
-                        this, "New I/O client boss #" + id));
-            } else {
-                synchronized (selectorGuard) {
-                    selector.wakeup();
-                    try {
-                        channel.socket.register(selector, SelectionKey.OP_CONNECT, channel);
-                    } catch (ClosedChannelException e) {
-                        throw new ChannelException(
-                                "Failed to register a socket to the selector.", e);
-                    }
-                }
+            if (wakenUp.compareAndSet(false, true)) {
+                selector.wakeup();
             }
         }
 
@@ -223,12 +231,13 @@ class NioClientSocketPipelineSink extends AbstractChannelSink {
             boolean shutdown = false;
             Selector selector = this.selector;
             for (;;) {
-                synchronized (selectorGuard) {
-                    // This empty synchronization block prevents the selector
-                    // from acquiring its lock.
-                }
+                wakenUp.set(false);
+
                 try {
                     int selectedKeyCount = selector.select(500);
+
+                    processRegisterTaskQueue();
+
                     if (selectedKeyCount > 0) {
                         processSelectedKeys(selector.selectedKeys());
                     }
@@ -242,18 +251,17 @@ class NioClientSocketPipelineSink extends AbstractChannelSink {
                         if (shutdown ||
                             bossExecutor instanceof ExecutorService && ((ExecutorService) bossExecutor).isShutdown()) {
 
-                            synchronized (selectorGuard) {
-                                if (selector.keys().isEmpty()) {
+                            synchronized (startStopLock) {
+                                if (registerTaskQueue.isEmpty() && selector.keys().isEmpty()) {
+                                    started = false;
                                     try {
                                         selector.close();
                                     } catch (IOException e) {
                                         logger.warn(
-                                                "Failed to close a selector.",
-                                                e);
+                                                "Failed to close a selector.", e);
                                     } finally {
                                         this.selector = null;
                                     }
-                                    started.set(false);
                                     break;
                                 } else {
                                     shutdown = false;
@@ -280,6 +288,17 @@ class NioClientSocketPipelineSink extends AbstractChannelSink {
             }
         }
 
+        private void processRegisterTaskQueue() {
+            for (;;) {
+                final Runnable task = registerTaskQueue.poll();
+                if (task == null) {
+                    break;
+                }
+
+                task.run();
+            }
+        }
+
         private void processSelectedKeys(Set<SelectionKey> selectedKeys) {
             for (Iterator<SelectionKey> i = selectedKeys.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {
                 SelectionKey k = i.next();
@@ -318,4 +337,24 @@ class NioClientSocketPipelineSink extends AbstractChannelSink {
             NioWorker.close(ch, ch.getSucceededFuture());
         }
     }
+
+    private final class RegisterTask implements Runnable {
+        private final Boss boss;
+        private final NioSocketChannel channel;
+
+        RegisterTask(Boss boss, NioSocketChannel channel) {
+            this.boss = boss;
+            this.channel = channel;
+        }
+
+        public void run() {
+            try {
+                channel.socket.register(
+                        boss.selector, SelectionKey.OP_CONNECT, channel);
+            } catch (ClosedChannelException e) {
+                throw new ChannelException(
+                        "Failed to register a socket to the selector.", e);
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }