diff --git a/paddle/parameter/ParameterUpdaterBase.cpp b/paddle/parameter/ParameterUpdaterBase.cpp
index 49e2ae2b393f4a5e6c0986bc5e645011f5a3eca1..458cae886a440a2949d379a507de73192abc47a7 100644
--- a/paddle/parameter/ParameterUpdaterBase.cpp
+++ b/paddle/parameter/ParameterUpdaterBase.cpp
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ limitations under the License. */
 
 namespace paddle {
 
-void ParameterUpdater::init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
+void ParameterUpdater::init(const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
   parameters_ = parameters;
   for (ParameterType type : getParameterTypes()) {
     for (auto& para : parameters) {
diff --git a/paddle/parameter/ParameterUpdaterBase.h b/paddle/parameter/ParameterUpdaterBase.h
index 5401046f676892c415f3e29ed1adbec75f5abe74..88148d9b769e9b6eca90f9651a121e926543d7c2 100644
--- a/paddle/parameter/ParameterUpdaterBase.h
+++ b/paddle/parameter/ParameterUpdaterBase.h
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public:
     parameterTypes_.push_back(type);
   }
 
-  virtual void init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
+  virtual void init(const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
 
   // called by Trainer when starting a new pass
   virtual void startPass() {}
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ public:
   ParameterUpdaterComposite() {}
   virtual ~ParameterUpdaterComposite() {}
 
-  virtual void init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) = 0;
+  virtual void init(const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) = 0;
 
   virtual void startPass() {
     syncThreadPool_->execPlusOwner(
diff --git a/paddle/trainer/ParameterUpdater.cpp b/paddle/trainer/ParameterUpdater.cpp
index 8b5b95da5b397aada6972d46db35fee8ca1a2ea4..4e9e890c85945aedd7e604f52a06902191c95d4c 100644
--- a/paddle/trainer/ParameterUpdater.cpp
+++ b/paddle/trainer/ParameterUpdater.cpp
@@ -34,7 +34,8 @@ SgdUpdaterWithCpuAverager::SgdUpdaterWithCpuAverager(
   updateWorker_.addJob([]() { hl_set_device(FLAGS_gpu_id); });
 }
 
-void SgdUpdaterWithCpuAverager::init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
+void SgdUpdaterWithCpuAverager::init(
+    const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
   SgdLocalUpdater::init(parameters);
   averager_->init(parameters_.size(), nullptr);
   copyEvents_.resize(parameters_.size());
diff --git a/paddle/trainer/ParameterUpdater.h b/paddle/trainer/ParameterUpdater.h
index e52b5cd318b4d647a4bd126adf2ecfaba08d8363..4dae77567f8f4d097c583567275d4b90122feb6a 100644
--- a/paddle/trainer/ParameterUpdater.h
+++ b/paddle/trainer/ParameterUpdater.h
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ public:
    *           be initialized.
    * @param parameters The parameter need to be initialized.
    */
-  virtual void init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
+  virtual void init(const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
     ParameterUpdater::init(parameters);
     optimizer_->init(parameters_.size(), nullptr);
     // check no L1 decay in parameter configs
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ public:
    * @brief init. Initialize cpu parameters, model average optimizer.
    * @param parameters
    */
-  virtual void init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
+  virtual void init(const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
 
   virtual PassType startBatch(int64_t batchSize) {
     averager_->startBatch(-1UL);
diff --git a/paddle/trainer/RemoteParameterUpdater.cpp b/paddle/trainer/RemoteParameterUpdater.cpp
index 974e78fa17d6564414962475f81497491bbb0482..630f55d998d9f5b5b2880aa02b025e6e56e1f064 100644
--- a/paddle/trainer/RemoteParameterUpdater.cpp
+++ b/paddle/trainer/RemoteParameterUpdater.cpp
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ RemoteParameterUpdater::RemoteParameterUpdater(
   addParameterType(PARAMETER_MOMENTUM);
 }
 
-void RemoteParameterUpdater::init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
+void RemoteParameterUpdater::init(const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
   ParameterUpdater::init(parameters);
 
   if (localUpdater_) {
@@ -595,7 +595,8 @@ SparseRemoteParameterUpdater::SparseRemoteParameterUpdater(
       testing_(testing),
       useApplyInPserver_(false) {}
 
-void SparseRemoteParameterUpdater::init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
+void SparseRemoteParameterUpdater::init(
+    const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
   ParameterUpdater::init(parameters);
 
   parameterClient_.reset(new ParameterClient2(
@@ -809,7 +810,7 @@ void SparseRemoteParameterUpdater::saveParametersRemote(
 }
 
 void SparseRemoteParameterUpdaterComposite::init(
-    std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
+    const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
   parameters_ = parameters;
 
   std::vector<ParameterPtr> parametersArray[NUMBER_UPDATERS];
diff --git a/paddle/trainer/RemoteParameterUpdater.h b/paddle/trainer/RemoteParameterUpdater.h
index 66055c778e439a1edf7d1b6dd2e13b945fa73323..ec6ed443d33db1d695194092b34d6090a4b5ab94 100644
--- a/paddle/trainer/RemoteParameterUpdater.h
+++ b/paddle/trainer/RemoteParameterUpdater.h
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ public:
   /**
    * initialize the internal parameter client and itself.
    */
-  virtual void init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
+  virtual void init(const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
   /**
    * @brief start batch
    *
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ public:
   }
 
   /// initialization
-  virtual void init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
+  virtual void init(const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
 
   /// stateful batch control
   virtual PassType startBatch(int64_t batchSize);
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ public:
   }
 
   /// initialization of dense and sparse updaters
-  virtual void init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
+  virtual void init(const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
 };
 
 class ParameterUpdaterCreators {
diff --git a/paddle/trainer/ThreadParameterUpdater.cpp b/paddle/trainer/ThreadParameterUpdater.cpp
index 049022b1f106a0bedec1e4ebc687adb316662500..2a76d5723ccb68896f8ddbfad31a9d7d84adcf55 100644
--- a/paddle/trainer/ThreadParameterUpdater.cpp
+++ b/paddle/trainer/ThreadParameterUpdater.cpp
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ SgdThreadUpdater::SgdThreadUpdater(const OptimizationConfig& optConfig)
   }
 }
 
-void SgdThreadUpdater::init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
+void SgdThreadUpdater::init(const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters) {
   ParameterUpdater::init(parameters);
 
   // calc max parameter id
diff --git a/paddle/trainer/ThreadParameterUpdater.h b/paddle/trainer/ThreadParameterUpdater.h
index d01ac689f97f360b64d4e63032a804f1f24c83e2..198435c0f30056a9467b8a076c8443ae243e7c3f 100644
--- a/paddle/trainer/ThreadParameterUpdater.h
+++ b/paddle/trainer/ThreadParameterUpdater.h
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ public:
   // Use the finishPass() function of the base optimizer.
   virtual bool finishPass(real cost);
 
-  virtual void init(std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
+  virtual void init(const std::vector<ParameterPtr>& parameters);
   virtual PassType startBatch(int64_t batchSize);
   // Call finishBatch for each optimizer.
   virtual void finishBatch(real cost);