diff --git a/assembly/pom.xml b/assembly/pom.xml
index 82a5985504b4e..22bbbc57d81d4 100644
--- a/assembly/pom.xml
+++ b/assembly/pom.xml
@@ -158,6 +158,16 @@
         </dependency>
       </dependencies>
     </profile>
+    <profile>
+      <id>spark-ganglia-lgpl</id>
+      <dependencies>
+        <dependency>
+          <groupId>org.apache.spark</groupId>
+          <artifactId>spark-ganglia-lgpl_${scala.binary.version}</artifactId>
+          <version>${project.version}</version>
+        </dependency>
+      </dependencies>
+    </profile>
     <profile>
       <id>bigtop-dist</id>
       <!-- This profile uses the assembly plugin to create a special "dist" package for BigTop
diff --git a/core/pom.xml b/core/pom.xml
index 4d7d41a9714d7..2248f9d0446c0 100644
--- a/core/pom.xml
+++ b/core/pom.xml
@@ -179,10 +179,6 @@
       <groupId>com.codahale.metrics</groupId>
       <artifactId>metrics-json</artifactId>
     </dependency>
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>com.codahale.metrics</groupId>
-      <artifactId>metrics-ganglia</artifactId>
-    </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.codahale.metrics</groupId>
       <artifactId>metrics-graphite</artifactId>
diff --git a/dev/audit-release/README.md b/dev/audit-release/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..2437a98672177
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/audit-release/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# Test Application Builds
+This directory includes test applications which are built when auditing releases. You can
+run them locally by setting appropriate environment variables.
+
+```
+$ cd sbt_app_core
+$ SCALA_VERSION=2.10.3 \
+  SPARK_VERSION=1.0.0-SNAPSHOT \
+  SPARK_RELEASE_REPOSITORY=file:///home/patrick/.ivy2/local \
+  sbt run
+```
diff --git a/dev/audit-release/sbt_app_core/src/main/scala/SparkApp.scala b/dev/audit-release/sbt_app_core/src/main/scala/SparkApp.scala
index d49de8b73a856..53fe43215e40e 100644
--- a/dev/audit-release/sbt_app_core/src/main/scala/SparkApp.scala
+++ b/dev/audit-release/sbt_app_core/src/main/scala/SparkApp.scala
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 
 package main.scala
 
+import scala.util.Try
+
 import org.apache.spark.SparkContext
 import org.apache.spark.SparkContext._
 
@@ -31,6 +33,17 @@ object SimpleApp {
       println("Failed to parse log files with Spark")
       System.exit(-1)
     }
-    println("Test succeeded")
+
+    // Regression test for SPARK-1167: Remove metrics-ganglia from default build due to LGPL issue
+    val foundConsole = Try(Class.forName("org.apache.spark.metrics.sink.ConsoleSink")).isSuccess
+    val foundGanglia = Try(Class.forName("org.apache.spark.metrics.sink.GangliaSink")).isSuccess
+    if (!foundConsole) {
+      println("Console sink not loaded via spark-core")
+      System.exit(-1)
+    }
+    if (foundGanglia) {
+      println("Ganglia sink was loaded via spark-core")
+      System.exit(-1)
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/dev/audit-release/sbt_app_ganglia/build.sbt b/dev/audit-release/sbt_app_ganglia/build.sbt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..55db675c722d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/audit-release/sbt_app_ganglia/build.sbt
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+//
+// Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+// contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+// this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+// The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+// (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+// the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+//
+
+name := "Ganglia Test"
+
+version := "1.0"
+
+scalaVersion := System.getenv.get("SCALA_VERSION")
+
+libraryDependencies += "org.apache.spark" %% "spark-core" % System.getenv.get("SPARK_VERSION")
+
+libraryDependencies += "org.apache.spark" %% "spark-ganglia-lgpl" % System.getenv.get("SPARK_VERSION")
+
+resolvers ++= Seq(
+  "Spark Release Repository" at System.getenv.get("SPARK_RELEASE_REPOSITORY"),
+  "Akka Repository" at "http://repo.akka.io/releases/",
+  "Spray Repository" at "http://repo.spray.cc/")
diff --git a/dev/audit-release/sbt_app_ganglia/src/main/scala/SparkApp.scala b/dev/audit-release/sbt_app_ganglia/src/main/scala/SparkApp.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..0be8e64fbfabd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/audit-release/sbt_app_ganglia/src/main/scala/SparkApp.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package main.scala
+
+import scala.util.Try
+
+import org.apache.spark.SparkContext
+import org.apache.spark.SparkContext._
+
+object SimpleApp {
+  def main(args: Array[String]) {
+    // Regression test for SPARK-1167: Remove metrics-ganglia from default build due to LGPL issue
+    val foundConsole = Try(Class.forName("org.apache.spark.metrics.sink.ConsoleSink")).isSuccess
+    val foundGanglia = Try(Class.forName("org.apache.spark.metrics.sink.GangliaSink")).isSuccess
+    if (!foundConsole) {
+      println("Console sink not loaded via spark-core")
+      System.exit(-1)
+    }
+    if (!foundGanglia) {
+      println("Ganglia sink not loaded via spark-ganglia-lgpl")
+      System.exit(-1)
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/dev/create-release/create-release.sh b/dev/create-release/create-release.sh
index b9088eac376a2..995106f111443 100755
--- a/dev/create-release/create-release.sh
+++ b/dev/create-release/create-release.sh
@@ -49,14 +49,14 @@ mvn -DskipTests \
   -Darguments="-DskipTests=true -Dhadoop.version=2.2.0 -Dyarn.version=2.2.0 -Dgpg.passphrase=${GPG_PASSPHRASE}" \
   -Dusername=$GIT_USERNAME -Dpassword=$GIT_PASSWORD \
   -Dhadoop.version=2.2.0 -Dyarn.version=2.2.0 \
-  -Pyarn \
+  -Pyarn -Pspark-ganglia-lgpl \
   -Dtag=$GIT_TAG -DautoVersionSubmodules=true \
   --batch-mode release:prepare
 
 mvn -DskipTests \
   -Darguments="-DskipTests=true -Dhadoop.version=2.2.0 -Dyarn.version=2.2.0 -Dgpg.passphrase=${GPG_PASSPHRASE}" \
   -Dhadoop.version=2.2.0 -Dyarn.version=2.2.0 \
-  -Pyarn \
+  -Pyarn -Pspark-ganglia-lgpl\
   release:perform
 
 rm -rf spark
diff --git a/docs/monitoring.md b/docs/monitoring.md
index e9b1d2b2f4ffb..15bfb041780da 100644
--- a/docs/monitoring.md
+++ b/docs/monitoring.md
@@ -48,11 +48,22 @@ Each instance can report to zero or more _sinks_. Sinks are contained in the
 
 * `ConsoleSink`: Logs metrics information to the console.
 * `CSVSink`: Exports metrics data to CSV files at regular intervals.
-* `GangliaSink`: Sends metrics to a Ganglia node or multicast group.
 * `JmxSink`: Registers metrics for viewing in a JXM console.
 * `MetricsServlet`: Adds a servlet within the existing Spark UI to serve metrics data as JSON data.
 * `GraphiteSink`: Sends metrics to a Graphite node.
 
+Spark also supports a Ganglia sink which is not included in the default build due to
+licensing restrictions:
+
+* `GangliaSink`: Sends metrics to a Ganglia node or multicast group.
+
+To install the `GangliaSink` you'll need to perform a custom build of Spark. _**Note that
+by embedding this library you will include [LGPL](http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/lesser.html)-licensed 
+code in your Spark package**_. For sbt users, set the 
+`SPARK_GANGLIA_LGPL` environment variable before building. For Maven users, enable 
+the `-Pspark-ganglia-lgpl` profile. In addition to modifying the cluster's Spark build
+user applications will need to link to the `spark-ganglia-lgpl` artifact.
+
 The syntax of the metrics configuration file is defined in an example configuration file, 
 `$SPARK_HOME/conf/metrics.properties.template`.
 
diff --git a/extras/spark-ganglia-lgpl/pom.xml b/extras/spark-ganglia-lgpl/pom.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..11ac827ed54a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extras/spark-ganglia-lgpl/pom.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<!--
+~ Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+~ contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+~ this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+~ The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+~ (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+~ the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+~
+~    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+~
+~ Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+~ distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+~ WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+~ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+~ limitations under the License.
+-->
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+  <parent>
+    <groupId>org.apache.spark</groupId>
+    <artifactId>spark-parent</artifactId>
+    <version>1.0.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <relativePath>../../pom.xml</relativePath>
+  </parent>
+
+  <!-- Ganglia integration is not included by default due to LGPL-licensed code -->
+  <groupId>org.apache.spark</groupId>
+  <artifactId>spark-ganglia-lgpl_2.10</artifactId>
+  <packaging>jar</packaging>
+  <name>Spark Ganglia Integration</name>
+  
+  <dependencies>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>org.apache.spark</groupId>
+      <artifactId>spark-core_${scala.binary.version}</artifactId>
+      <version>${project.version}</version>
+    </dependency>
+
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>com.codahale.metrics</groupId>
+      <artifactId>metrics-ganglia</artifactId>
+    </dependency>
+  </dependencies>
+</project>
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/metrics/sink/GangliaSink.scala b/extras/spark-ganglia-lgpl/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/metrics/sink/GangliaSink.scala
similarity index 100%
rename from core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/metrics/sink/GangliaSink.scala
rename to extras/spark-ganglia-lgpl/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/metrics/sink/GangliaSink.scala
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index f0c877dcfe7b2..986626f029d75 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -756,12 +756,19 @@
         <hadoop.version>0.23.7</hadoop.version>
         <!--<hadoop.version>2.0.5-alpha</hadoop.version> -->
       </properties>
-
       <modules>
         <module>yarn</module>
       </modules>
+    </profile>
 
+    <!-- Ganglia integration is not included by default due to LGPL-licensed code -->
+    <profile>
+      <id>spark-ganglia-lgpl</id>
+      <modules>
+        <module>extras/spark-ganglia-lgpl</module>
+      </modules>
     </profile>
+
     <profile>
       <id>java8-tests</id>
       <build>
diff --git a/project/SparkBuild.scala b/project/SparkBuild.scala
index 8fa220c413291..b0c3bf29dfd4f 100644
--- a/project/SparkBuild.scala
+++ b/project/SparkBuild.scala
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ object SparkBuild extends Build {
   lazy val mllib = Project("mllib", file("mllib"), settings = mllibSettings) dependsOn(core)
 
   lazy val assemblyProj = Project("assembly", file("assembly"), settings = assemblyProjSettings)
-    .dependsOn(core, graphx, bagel, mllib, repl, streaming) dependsOn(maybeYarn: _*)
+    .dependsOn(core, graphx, bagel, mllib, repl, streaming) dependsOn(maybeYarn: _*) dependsOn(maybeGanglia: _*)
 
   lazy val assembleDeps = TaskKey[Unit]("assemble-deps", "Build assembly of dependencies and packages Spark projects")
 
@@ -91,19 +91,26 @@ object SparkBuild extends Build {
   lazy val hadoopClient = if (hadoopVersion.startsWith("0.20.") || hadoopVersion == "1.0.0") "hadoop-core" else "hadoop-client"
   val maybeAvro = if (hadoopVersion.startsWith("0.23.") && isYarnEnabled) Seq("org.apache.avro" % "avro" % "1.7.4") else Seq()
 
-  // Conditionally include the java 8 sub-project
+  // Include Ganglia integration if the user has enabled Ganglia
+  // This is isolated from the normal build due to LGPL-licensed code in the library
+  lazy val isGangliaEnabled = Properties.envOrNone("SPARK_GANGLIA_LGPL").isDefined
+  lazy val gangliaProj = Project("spark-ganglia-lgpl", file("extras/spark-ganglia-lgpl"), settings = gangliaSettings).dependsOn(core)
+  val maybeGanglia: Seq[ClasspathDependency] = if (isGangliaEnabled) Seq(gangliaProj) else Seq()
+  val maybeGangliaRef: Seq[ProjectReference] = if (isGangliaEnabled) Seq(gangliaProj) else Seq()
+
+  // Include the Java 8 project if the JVM version is 8+
   lazy val javaVersion = System.getProperty("java.specification.version")
   lazy val isJava8Enabled = javaVersion.toDouble >= "1.8".toDouble
   val maybeJava8Tests = if (isJava8Enabled) Seq[ProjectReference](java8Tests) else Seq[ProjectReference]()
   lazy val java8Tests = Project("java8-tests", file("extras/java8-tests"), settings = java8TestsSettings).
     dependsOn(core) dependsOn(streaming % "compile->compile;test->test")
 
-  // Conditionally include the yarn sub-project
+  // Include the YARN project if the user has enabled YARN
   lazy val yarnAlpha = Project("yarn-alpha", file("yarn/alpha"), settings = yarnAlphaSettings) dependsOn(core)
   lazy val yarn = Project("yarn", file("yarn/stable"), settings = yarnSettings) dependsOn(core)
 
-  lazy val maybeYarn = if (isYarnEnabled) Seq[ClasspathDependency](if (isNewHadoop) yarn else yarnAlpha) else Seq[ClasspathDependency]()
-  lazy val maybeYarnRef = if (isYarnEnabled) Seq[ProjectReference](if (isNewHadoop) yarn else yarnAlpha) else Seq[ProjectReference]()
+  lazy val maybeYarn: Seq[ClasspathDependency] = if (isYarnEnabled) Seq(if (isNewHadoop) yarn else yarnAlpha) else Seq()
+  lazy val maybeYarnRef: Seq[ProjectReference] = if (isYarnEnabled) Seq(if (isNewHadoop) yarn else yarnAlpha) else Seq()
 
   lazy val externalTwitter = Project("external-twitter", file("external/twitter"), settings = twitterSettings)
     .dependsOn(streaming % "compile->compile;test->test")
@@ -127,7 +134,7 @@ object SparkBuild extends Build {
     .dependsOn(core, mllib, graphx, bagel, streaming, externalTwitter) dependsOn(allExternal: _*)
 
   // Everything except assembly, tools, java8Tests and examples belong to packageProjects
-  lazy val packageProjects = Seq[ProjectReference](core, repl, bagel, streaming, mllib, graphx) ++ maybeYarnRef
+  lazy val packageProjects = Seq[ProjectReference](core, repl, bagel, streaming, mllib, graphx) ++ maybeYarnRef ++ maybeGangliaRef
 
   lazy val allProjects = packageProjects ++ allExternalRefs ++
     Seq[ProjectReference](examples, tools, assemblyProj) ++ maybeJava8Tests
@@ -296,7 +303,6 @@ object SparkBuild extends Build {
         "com.codahale.metrics"       % "metrics-core"     % "3.0.0",
         "com.codahale.metrics"       % "metrics-jvm"      % "3.0.0",
         "com.codahale.metrics"       % "metrics-json"     % "3.0.0",
-        "com.codahale.metrics"       % "metrics-ganglia"  % "3.0.0",
         "com.codahale.metrics"       % "metrics-graphite" % "3.0.0",
         "com.twitter"               %% "chill"            % "0.3.1" excludeAll(excludeAsm),
         "com.twitter"                % "chill-java"       % "0.3.1" excludeAll(excludeAsm),
@@ -384,6 +390,11 @@ object SparkBuild extends Build {
     name := "spark-yarn"
   )
 
+  def gangliaSettings = sharedSettings ++ Seq(
+    name := "spark-ganglia-lgpl",
+    libraryDependencies += "com.codahale.metrics" % "metrics-ganglia" % "3.0.0"
+  )
+
   def java8TestsSettings = sharedSettings ++ Seq(
     name := "java8-tests",
     javacOptions := Seq("-target", "1.8", "-source", "1.8"),