private void verifyTableDescriptor(final TableName tableName, final byte[]... families)
    throws IOException {
    Admin admin = TEST_UTIL.getAdmin();

    // Verify descriptor from master
    TableDescriptor htd = admin.getDescriptor(tableName);
    verifyTableDescriptor(htd, tableName, families);

    // Verify descriptor from HDFS
    MasterFileSystem mfs = TEST_UTIL.getMiniHBaseCluster().getMaster().getMasterFileSystem();
    Path tableDir = CommonFSUtils.getTableDir(mfs.getRootDir(), tableName);
    TableDescriptor td = FSTableDescriptors.getTableDescriptorFromFs(mfs.getFileSystem(), tableDir);
    verifyTableDescriptor(td, tableName, families);
  }
Start up a mini cluster and put a small table of empty regions into it.
hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/procedure/TestTableDescriptorModificationFromClient.java