diff --git a/cmake/external/python.cmake b/cmake/external/python.cmake
index cbb694022192804c0402157658eec8c32458e060..fc681453ef8d3b6f7e40483a5a1367375602c3fe 100644
--- a/cmake/external/python.cmake
+++ b/cmake/external/python.cmake
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@ IF(PYTHONLIBS_FOUND AND PYTHONINTERP_FOUND)
     find_python_module(wheel REQUIRED)
     find_python_module(google.protobuf REQUIRED)
     FIND_PACKAGE(NumPy REQUIRED)
+    IF(${PY_GOOGLE.PROTOBUF_VERSION} VERSION_LESS "3.0.0")
+        MESSAGE(FATAL_ERROR "Found Python Protobuf ${PY_GOOGLE.PROTOBUF_VERSION} < 3.0.0, "
+        "please use pip to upgrade protobuf.")
+    ENDIF(${PY_GOOGLE.PROTOBUF_VERSION} VERSION_LESS "3.0.0")
 ELSE(PYTHONLIBS_FOUND AND PYTHONINTERP_FOUND)
     ##################################### PYTHON ########################################
     SET(PYTHON_SOURCES_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/third_party/python)
diff --git a/cmake/python_module.cmake b/cmake/python_module.cmake
index 2eb3441428e8290b665e092f6e4b40e146ea5a52..1412b7f7f20600acf95a4a899f5e6529c3b67a35 100644
--- a/cmake/python_module.cmake
+++ b/cmake/python_module.cmake
@@ -26,5 +26,18 @@ function(find_python_module module)
     if(NOT PY_${module_upper}_FOUND AND ${module}_FIND_REQUIRED)
         message(FATAL_ERROR "python module ${module} is not found")
     endif()
+
+    execute_process(COMMAND "${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE}" "-c"
+        "import sys, ${module}; sys.stdout.write(${module}.__version__)"
+        OUTPUT_VARIABLE _${module}_version
+        RESULT_VARIABLE _${module}_status
+        ERROR_QUIET
+        OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE)
+    if(NOT _${module}_status)
+        set(PY_${module_upper}_VERSION ${_${module}_version} CACHE STRING
+            "Version of Python module ${module}")
+    endif(NOT _${module}_status)
+
     set(PY_${module_upper}_FOUND ${PY_${module_upper}_FOUND} PARENT_SCOPE)
+    set(PY_${module_upper}_VERSION ${PY_${module_upper}_VERSION} PARENT_SCOPE)
 endfunction(find_python_module)
diff --git a/paddle/setup.py.in b/paddle/setup.py.in
index e3650bf1c0c4692a50e9731fcd8b832865eaac62..c79666bc81b6f343f166422697cd3901ce8ff441 100644
--- a/paddle/setup.py.in
+++ b/paddle/setup.py.in
@@ -70,6 +70,6 @@ setup(name="py_paddle",
   include_dirs = include_dirs,
   install_requires = [
     'numpy>=1.8.0',      # The numpy is required.
-    'protobuf>=2.4.1' # The paddle protobuf version
+    'protobuf>=3.0.0'    # The paddle protobuf version
   ],
 )