diff --git a/paddle/operators/recv_op.cc b/paddle/operators/recv_op.cc
index 094084458e8e17cf67231f6ac932189122c2b035..71848581934515fafbe9935022bba3023d1d8971 100644
--- a/paddle/operators/recv_op.cc
+++ b/paddle/operators/recv_op.cc
@@ -160,10 +160,12 @@ This operator will recv tensor from send_op
                          "Serialized ProgramDesc string for recv to run.");
     AddAttr<std::vector<std::string>>(
         "ParamList", "type list of string",
-        "grad->param name mapping to find which param to optimize.");
+        "grad->param name mapping to find which param to optimize.")
+        .SetDefault({});
     AddAttr<std::vector<std::string>>(
         "GradList", "type list of string",
-        "grad->param name mapping to find which param to optimize.");
+        "grad->param name mapping to find which param to optimize.")
+        .SetDefault({});
     AddAttr<int>("Trainers", "type int",
                  "Number of trainers in the current cluster job")
         .SetDefault(1);
diff --git a/paddle/operators/send_recv_op_test.cc b/paddle/operators/send_recv_op_test.cc
index 3e2e2051afacb748877e3b0c3dec8d6662ac4e72..1715b05c2ca5ebcdb0dc3bd8217ab0cb27800d4e 100644
--- a/paddle/operators/send_recv_op_test.cc
+++ b/paddle/operators/send_recv_op_test.cc
@@ -16,12 +16,14 @@
 // a RemoteOptimizer.
 
 #include <unistd.h>
+#include <string>
 #include <thread>
 
 #include "gtest/gtest.h"
 #include "paddle/framework/op_registry.h"
 #include "paddle/framework/operator.h"
 #include "paddle/framework/program_desc.h"
+#include "paddle/string/printf.h"
 
 USE_NO_KERNEL_OP(send);
 USE_NO_KERNEL_OP(recv);
@@ -33,18 +35,21 @@ std::unique_ptr<paddle::framework::OperatorBase> recv_op;
 void InitTensorsInScope(paddle::framework::Scope &scope,
                         paddle::platform::CPUPlace &place) {
   paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext ctx(place);
-  auto var = scope.Var("X");
-  auto tensor = var->GetMutable<paddle::framework::LoDTensor>();
-  tensor->Resize({10, 10});
-  float *expect = tensor->mutable_data<float>(place);
-  for (int64_t i = 0; i < tensor->numel(); ++i) {
-    expect[i] = static_cast<float>(i);
+  for (int i = 0; i < 2; ++i) {
+    auto var_name = paddle::string::Sprintf("x%d", i);
+    auto var = scope.Var(var_name);
+    auto tensor = var->GetMutable<paddle::framework::LoDTensor>();
+    tensor->Resize({10, 10});
+    float *expect = tensor->mutable_data<float>(place);
+    for (int64_t i = 0; i < tensor->numel(); ++i) {
+      expect[i] = static_cast<float>(i);
+    }
   }
 
   auto out_var = scope.Var("Out");
   auto out_tensor = out_var->GetMutable<paddle::framework::LoDTensor>();
   out_tensor->Resize({10, 10});
-  tensor->mutable_data<float>(place);  // allocate
+  out_tensor->mutable_data<float>(place);  // allocate
 }
 
 void AddOp(const std::string &type,
@@ -81,7 +86,7 @@ void StartServerNet() {
   paddle::framework::ProgramDescBind program;
   paddle::framework::BlockDescBind *block = program.MutableBlock(0);
   // X for server side tensors, RX for received tensers, must be of same shape.
-  AddOp("sum", {{"X", {"X", "RX"}}}, {{"Out", {"Out"}}}, {}, block);
+  AddOp("sum", {{"X", {"x0", "x1"}}}, {{"Out", {"Out"}}}, {}, block);
 
   paddle::framework::AttributeMap attrs;
   attrs.insert({"endpoint", std::string("127.0.0.1:6174")});
@@ -89,8 +94,8 @@ void StartServerNet() {
   PADDLE_ENFORCE(program.Proto()->SerializeToString(&program_proto));
 
   attrs.insert({"OptimizeProgram", program_proto});
-  recv_op = paddle::framework::OpRegistry::CreateOp("recv", {{"RX", {"RX"}}},
-                                                    {{"Out", {"Out"}}}, attrs);
+  recv_op = paddle::framework::OpRegistry::CreateOp(
+      "recv", {{"RX", {"x0", "x1"}}}, {{"Out", {"Out"}}}, attrs);
   paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext ctx(place);
   recv_op->Run(scope, ctx);
 }
@@ -107,11 +112,11 @@ TEST(SendRecvOp, CPU) {
   attrs.insert({"endpoint", std::string("127.0.0.1:6174")});
 
   auto send_op = paddle::framework::OpRegistry::CreateOp(
-      "send", {{"X", {"X"}}}, {{"Out", {"Out"}}}, attrs);
+      "send", {{"X", {"x0", "x1"}}}, {{"Out", {"Out"}}}, attrs);
   paddle::platform::CPUDeviceContext ctx(place);
   send_op->Run(scope, ctx);
 
-  auto in_var = scope.Var("X");
+  auto in_var = scope.Var("x0");
   auto tensor = in_var->GetMutable<paddle::framework::LoDTensor>();
   float *expected = tensor->data<float>();
 
diff --git a/python/paddle/v2/fluid/tests/book/notest_recognize_digits_conv_dist.py b/python/paddle/v2/fluid/tests/book/notest_recognize_digits_conv_dist.py
index c7f4f2212f33678438ae57b426a91608a8edf6f1..2680502efb91061be37a77fbe5b451960fdd15f7 100644
--- a/python/paddle/v2/fluid/tests/book/notest_recognize_digits_conv_dist.py
+++ b/python/paddle/v2/fluid/tests/book/notest_recognize_digits_conv_dist.py
@@ -39,14 +39,16 @@ train_reader = paddle.batch(
 place = fluid.CPUPlace()
 exe = fluid.Executor(place)
 t = fluid.DistributeTranspiler()
-t.transpile(optimize_ops, params_grads, pservers="127.0.0.1:6174", trainers=1)
+pserver_endpoints = os.getenv("PSERVERS")
+training_role = os.getenv("TRAINING_ROLE",
+                          "TRAINER")  # get the training role: trainer/pserver
+t.transpile(optimize_ops, params_grads, pservers=pserver_endpoints, trainers=1)
 
-pserver_endpoint = os.getenv("PSERVER")
-if pserver_endpoint:
-    pserver_prog = t.get_pserver_program(pserver_endpoint, optimize_ops)
+if training_role == "PSERVER":
+    pserver_prog = t.get_pserver_program(pserver_endpoints, optimize_ops)
     exe.run(fluid.default_startup_program())
     exe.run(pserver_prog)
-else:
+elif training_role == "TRAINER":
     feeder = fluid.DataFeeder(feed_list=[images, label], place=place)
     exe.run(fluid.default_startup_program())
 
@@ -64,5 +66,7 @@ else:
 
         pass_acc = accuracy.eval(exe)
         print("pass_id=" + str(pass_id) + " pass_acc=" + str(pass_acc))
+else:
+    print("environment var TRAINER_ROLE should be TRAINER os PSERVER")
 
 exit(1)