diff --git a/base/file.jl b/base/file.jl
index f4fa59f5d1a3e..cbebfb497e886 100644
--- a/base/file.jl
+++ b/base/file.jl
@@ -62,8 +62,8 @@ end
 # The following use Unix command line facilites
 
 rm(path::String) = FS.unlink(path)
-cp(src::String, dst::String) = run(`cp $src $dst`)
-mv(src::String, dst::String) = run(`mv $src $dst`)
+cp(src::String, dst::String) = FS.sendfile(src, dst)
+mv(src::String, dst::String) = FS.rename(src, dst)
 touch(path::String) = run(`touch $path`)
 
 # Obtain a temporary filename.
@@ -133,33 +133,6 @@ end
     end
 end
 
-downloadcmd = nothing
-function download(url::String, filename::String)
-    global downloadcmd
-    if downloadcmd === nothing
-        for checkcmd in (:curl, :wget, :fetch)
-            if success(`which $checkcmd` |> DevNull)
-                downloadcmd = checkcmd
-                break
-            end
-        end
-    end
-    if downloadcmd == :wget
-        run(`wget -O $filename $url`)
-    elseif downloadcmd == :curl
-        run(`curl -o $filename -L $url`)
-    elseif downloadcmd == :fetch
-        run(`fetch -f $filename $url`)
-    else
-        error("no download agent available; install curl, wget, or fetch")
-    end
-    filename
-end
-function download(url::String)
-    filename = tempname()
-    download(url, filename)
-end
-
 function readdir(path::String)
     # Allocate space for uv_fs_t struct
     uv_readdir_req = zeros(Uint8, ccall(:jl_sizeof_uv_fs_t, Int32, ()))
diff --git a/base/fs.jl b/base/fs.jl
index 38027b337a672..d7e97c51a390c 100644
--- a/base/fs.jl
+++ b/base/fs.jl
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ export File,
        # close,
        write,
        unlink,
+       rename,
+       sendfile,
        JL_O_WRONLY,
        JL_O_RDONLY,
        JL_O_RDWR,
@@ -102,6 +104,51 @@ function unlink(f::File)
     f
 end
 
+# For move command
+function rename(src::String, dst::String)
+    err = ccall(:jl_fs_rename, Int32, (Ptr{Uint8}, Ptr{Uint8}), bytestring(src),
+                bytestring(dst))
+
+    # on error, default to cp && rm
+    if err < 0
+        # first copy
+        err = sendfile(src, dst)
+        uv_error("sendfile when moving file", err)
+        
+        # then rm
+        err = unlink(src)
+        uv_error("removing when moving file", err)
+    end
+end
+
+# For copy command
+function sendfile(src::String, dst::String)
+    flags = JL_O_RDONLY
+    src_file = open(src, flags)
+    if !src_file.open
+        error("Src file is not open")
+    end
+
+    flags = JL_O_CREAT | JL_O_RDWR
+    mode = S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IWGRP| S_IROTH | S_IWOTH
+    dst_file = open(dst, flags, mode)
+    if !dst_file.open
+        error("Dst file is not open")
+    end
+
+    src_stat = stat(src_file)
+    err = ccall(:jl_fs_sendfile, Int32, (Int32, Int32, Int64, Csize_t),
+                fd(src_file), fd(dst_file), 0, src_stat.size)
+    uv_error("sendfile", err)
+
+    if src_file.open
+        close(src_file)
+    end
+    if dst_file.open
+        close(dst_file)
+    end
+end
+
 function write(f::File, buf::Ptr{Uint8}, len::Integer, offset::Integer=-1)
     if !f.open
         error("file is not open")
diff --git a/base/util.jl b/base/util.jl
index 0c370f435e593..9ebc1f8e38549 100644
--- a/base/util.jl
+++ b/base/util.jl
@@ -415,6 +415,35 @@ print_with_color(color::Symbol, io::IO, msg::String...) =
 print_with_color(color::Symbol, msg::String...) =
     print_with_color(color, STDOUT, msg...)
 
+## file downloading ##
+
+downloadcmd = nothing
+function download(url::String, filename::String)
+    global downloadcmd
+    if downloadcmd === nothing
+        for checkcmd in (:curl, :wget, :fetch)
+            if success(`which $checkcmd` |> DevNull)
+                downloadcmd = checkcmd
+                break
+            end
+        end
+    end
+    if downloadcmd == :wget
+        run(`wget -O $filename $url`)
+    elseif downloadcmd == :curl
+        run(`curl -o $filename -L $url`)
+    elseif downloadcmd == :fetch
+        run(`fetch -f $filename $url`)
+    else
+        error("no download agent available; install curl, wget, or fetch")
+    end
+    filename
+end
+function download(url::String)
+    filename = tempname()
+    download(url, filename)
+end
+
 ## warnings and messages ##
 
 function info(msg::String...; prefix="INFO: ")
diff --git a/src/jl_uv.c b/src/jl_uv.c
index 320459260faa3..52dcd50c9ad77 100644
--- a/src/jl_uv.c
+++ b/src/jl_uv.c
@@ -403,6 +403,24 @@ DLLEXPORT int jl_fs_unlink(char *path)
     return ret;
 }
 
+DLLEXPORT int jl_fs_rename(char *src_path, char *dst_path)
+{
+    uv_fs_t req;
+    int ret = uv_fs_rename(jl_io_loop, &req, src_path, dst_path, NULL);
+    uv_fs_req_cleanup(&req);
+    return ret;
+}
+
+DLLEXPORT int jl_fs_sendfile(int src_fd, int dst_fd,
+                             int64_t in_offset, size_t len)
+{
+    uv_fs_t req;
+    int ret = uv_fs_sendfile(jl_io_loop, &req, dst_fd, src_fd,
+                             in_offset, len, NULL);
+    uv_fs_req_cleanup(&req);
+    return ret;
+}
+
 DLLEXPORT int jl_fs_write(int handle, char *buf, size_t len, size_t offset)
 {
     uv_fs_t req;
diff --git a/src/julia.expmap b/src/julia.expmap
index c56bea027995d..e1352c991ff17 100644
--- a/src/julia.expmap
+++ b/src/julia.expmap
@@ -333,6 +333,8 @@
     jl_fs_poll_start;
     jl_fs_event_init;
     jl_fs_unlink;
+    jl_fs_rename;
+    jl_fs_sendfile;
     jl_fs_write;
     jl_fs_write_byte;
     jl_fs_read;
diff --git a/test/file.jl b/test/file.jl
index d0478759d438a..347913e72b986 100644
--- a/test/file.jl
+++ b/test/file.jl
@@ -8,22 +8,22 @@ close(open(file,"w")) # like touch, but lets the operating system update the tim
 #######################################################################
 # This section tests some of the features of the stat-based file info #
 #######################################################################
-@test isdir(dir) == true
-@test isfile(dir) == false
-@test islink(dir) == false
-@test isdir(file) == false
-@test isfile(file) == true
-@test islink(file) == false
-@test isreadable(file) == true
-@test iswritable(file) == true
+@test isdir(dir)
+@test !isfile(dir)
+@test !islink(dir)
+@test !isdir(file)
+@test isfile(file)
+@test !islink(file)
+@test isreadable(file)
+@test iswritable(file)
 # Here's something else that might be UNIX-specific?
 run(`chmod -w $file`)
-@test iswritable(file) == false
+@test !iswritable(file)
 run(`chmod +w $file`)
-@test isexecutable(file) == false
+@test !isexecutable(file)
 @test filesize(file) == 0
-# On windows the filesize of a folder is the accumulation of all the contained 
-# files and is thus zero in this case. 
+# On windows the filesize of a folder is the accumulation of all the contained
+# files and is thus zero in this case.
 @windows_only begin
     @test filesize(dir) == 0
 end
@@ -35,10 +35,28 @@ end
 # rename file
 newfile = joinpath(dir, "bfile.txt")
 mv(file, newfile)
-@test ispath(file) == false
-@test isfile(newfile) == true
+@test !ispath(file)
+@test isfile(newfile)
 file = newfile
 
+# Test renaming directories
+a_tmpdir = mktempdir()
+b_tmpdir = joinpath(dir, "b_tmpdir")
+
+# grab a_tmpdir's file info before renaming
+a_stat = stat(a_tmpdir)
+
+# rename, then make sure b_tmpdir does exist and a_tmpdir doesn't
+mv(a_tmpdir, b_tmpdir)
+@test isdir(b_tmpdir)
+@test !ispath(a_tmpdir)
+
+# get b_tmpdir's file info and compare with a_tmpdir
+b_stat = stat(b_tmpdir)
+@test Base.samefile(a_stat, b_stat)
+
+rmdir(b_tmpdir)
+
 #######################################################################
 # This section tests file watchers.                                   #
 #######################################################################
@@ -53,9 +71,7 @@ function test_timeout(tval)
     @async test_file_poll(channel,tval)
     tr = take(channel)
     t_elapsed = toq()
-
-    @test tr == false
-
+    @test !tr
     @test tval <= t_elapsed
 end
 
@@ -63,15 +79,12 @@ function test_touch(slval)
     tval = slval*1.1
     channel = RemoteRef()
     @async test_file_poll(channel, tval)
-
     sleep(tval/10)  # ~ one poll period
     f = open(file,"a")
     write(f,"Hello World\n")
     close(f)
-
     tr = take(channel)
-
-    @test tr == true
+    @test tr
 end
 
 
@@ -102,7 +115,7 @@ function test_monitor_wait(tval)
     @test events.changed
 end
 
-# Commented out the tests below due to issues 3015, 3016 and 3020 
+# Commented out the tests below due to issues 3015, 3016 and 3020
 test_timeout(0.1)
 test_timeout(1)
 # the 0.1 second tests are too optimistic
@@ -143,7 +156,7 @@ write(s, [0xffffffffffffffff,
           0x000000001fffffff])
 close(s)
 s = open(file, "r")
-@test isreadonly(s) == true
+@test isreadonly(s)
 b = mmap_bitarray((17,13), s)
 @test b == trues(17,13)
 @test_throws mmap_bitarray((7,3), s)
@@ -155,7 +168,7 @@ msync(b)
 b0 = copy(b)
 close(s)
 s = open(file, "r")
-@test isreadonly(s) == true
+@test isreadonly(s)
 b = mmap_bitarray((17,19), s)
 @test b == b0
 close(s)
@@ -184,10 +197,28 @@ emptyf = open(emptyfile)
 close(emptyf)
 rm(emptyfile)
 
+# Test copy file
+afile = joinpath(dir, "a.txt")
+touch(afile)
+af = open(afile, "r+")
+write(af, "This is indeed a test")
+
+bfile = joinpath(dir, "b.txt")
+cp(afile, bfile)
+
+a_stat = stat(afile)
+b_stat = stat(bfile)
+@test a_stat.mode == b_stat.mode
+@test a_stat.size == b_stat.size
+
+close(af)
+rm(afile)
+rm(bfile)
+
 ############
 # Clean up #
 ############
 rm(file)
 rmdir(dir)
-@test ispath(file) == false
-@test ispath(dir) == false
+@test !ispath(file)
+@test !ispath(dir)