diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/compute/contrib/disk_config.py b/nova/api/openstack/compute/contrib/disk_config.py
index 293be7415ee8..903f930fc44e 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/compute/contrib/disk_config.py
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/compute/contrib/disk_config.py
@@ -148,7 +148,8 @@ class ServerDiskConfigController(wsgi.Controller):
     def update(self, req, id, body):
         context = req.environ['nova.context']
         if authorize(context):
-            self._set_disk_config(body['server'])
+            if 'server' in body:
+                self._set_disk_config(body['server'])
             resp_obj = (yield)
             self._show(req, resp_obj)
 
diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py b/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py
index 0c5a2e5307fd..67a950ada60f 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py
@@ -813,6 +813,9 @@ class Controller(wsgi.Controller):
         if not body:
             raise exc.HTTPUnprocessableEntity()
 
+        if not 'server' in body:
+            raise exc.HTTPUnprocessableEntity()
+
         ctxt = req.environ['nova.context']
         update_dict = {}
 
diff --git a/nova/tests/api/openstack/compute/test_servers.py b/nova/tests/api/openstack/compute/test_servers.py
index 662a272f8ec4..fd3597b68217 100644
--- a/nova/tests/api/openstack/compute/test_servers.py
+++ b/nova/tests/api/openstack/compute/test_servers.py
@@ -4765,7 +4765,7 @@ class ServersAllExtensionsTestCase(test.TestCase):
         """Test create with malformed body"""
 
         def fake_create(*args, **kwargs):
-            raise Exception("Request should not reach the compute API.")
+            raise test.TestingException("Should not reach the compute API.")
 
         self.stubs.Set(nova.compute.api.API, 'create', fake_create)
 
@@ -4777,3 +4777,20 @@ class ServersAllExtensionsTestCase(test.TestCase):
         req.body = jsonutils.dumps(body)
         res = req.get_response(self.app)
         self.assertEqual(422, res.status_int)
+
+    def test_update_missing_server(self):
+        """Test create with malformed body"""
+
+        def fake_update(*args, **kwargs):
+            raise test.TestingException("Should not reach the compute API.")
+
+        self.stubs.Set(nova.compute.api.API, 'create', fake_update)
+
+        req = fakes.HTTPRequest.blank('/fake/servers/1')
+        req.method = 'PUT'
+        req.content_type = 'application/json'
+        body = {'foo': {'a': 'b'}}
+
+        req.body = jsonutils.dumps(body)
+        res = req.get_response(self.app)
+        self.assertEqual(422, res.status_int)