diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index a3df0a6..6f4eebd 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.8.0
+0.8.1
diff --git a/lib/webhdfs/client_v1.rb b/lib/webhdfs/client_v1.rb
index f3a584a..5899048 100644
--- a/lib/webhdfs/client_v1.rb
+++ b/lib/webhdfs/client_v1.rb
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class ClientV1
     attr_accessor :ssl_cert
     attr_accessor :ssl_key
     attr_accessor :ssl_version
-    attr_accessor :kerberos, :kerberos_keytab
+    attr_accessor :kerberos, :kerberos_keytab, :kerberos_service_principal
     attr_accessor :http_headers
 
     SSL_VERIFY_MODES = [:none, :peer]
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ def initialize(host='localhost', port=50070, username=nil, doas=nil, proxy_addre
 
       @kerberos = false
       @kerberos_keytab = nil
+      @kerberos_service_principal = nil
+
       @http_headers = http_headers
     end
 
@@ -315,7 +317,10 @@ def request(host, port, method, path, op=nil, params={}, payload=nil, header=nil
       if @kerberos
         require 'base64'
         require 'gssapi'
-        gsscli = GSSAPI::Simple.new(@host, 'HTTP', @kerberos_keytab)
+        require 'httpclient'
+
+        gsscli = GSSAPI::Simple.new(@host, @kerberos_service_principal, @kerberos_keytab)
+
         token = nil
         begin
           token = gsscli.init_context