diff --git a/byteps/common/communicator.cc b/byteps/common/communicator.cc
index ae21789a5..f1ae6aa2c 100644
--- a/byteps/common/communicator.cc
+++ b/byteps/common/communicator.cc
@@ -90,8 +90,13 @@ void BytePSCommSocket::init(int* rank, int* size, int* local_rank, int* local_si
     *my_role = (_local_rank == _root) ? LOCAL_ROOT : LOCAL_WORKER;
     bool is_root = (*my_role == LOCAL_ROOT) ? true : false;
 
-    _send_path = std::string(BASE_SOCKET_PATH_SEND);
-    _recv_path = std::string(BASE_SOCKET_PATH_RECV);
+    if (getenv("BYTEPS_SOCKET_PATH")) {
+        _send_path = std::string(getenv("BYTEPS_SOCKET_PATH")) + std::string("/socket_send_");
+        _recv_path = std::string(getenv("BYTEPS_SOCKET_PATH")) + std::string("/socket_recv_");
+    } else {
+        _send_path = std::string(DEFAULT_BASE_SOCKET_PATH_SEND);
+        _recv_path = std::string(DEFAULT_BASE_SOCKET_PATH_RECV);
+    }
 
     _send_fd = initSocket(_local_rank, _send_path);
     _recv_fd = initSocket(_local_rank, _recv_path);
diff --git a/byteps/common/communicator.h b/byteps/common/communicator.h
index ced73132c..252c9f0d0 100644
--- a/byteps/common/communicator.h
+++ b/byteps/common/communicator.h
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@
 #include <mutex>
 #include "logging.h"
 
-#define BASE_SOCKET_PATH_RECV   "/usr/local/socket_recv_"
-#define BASE_SOCKET_PATH_SEND   "/usr/local/socket_send_"
+#define DEFAULT_BASE_SOCKET_PATH_RECV   "/tmp/socket_recv_"
+#define DEFAULT_BASE_SOCKET_PATH_SEND   "/tmp/socket_send_"
 #define MAX_LINE 8000
 
 namespace byteps {
diff --git a/byteps/common/global.cc b/byteps/common/global.cc
index 8bdba7c4a..a3d39f248 100644
--- a/byteps/common/global.cc
+++ b/byteps/common/global.cc
@@ -98,7 +98,6 @@ void BytePSGlobal::Init() {
     _partition_bytes = AlignTo(_partition_bytes, (8 * _local_size));
 
     BPS_CHECK(getenv("DMLC_NUM_WORKER")) << "error: env DMLC_NUM_WORKER not set";
-    BPS_CHECK(getenv("DMLC_NUM_SERVER")) << "error: env DMLC_NUM_SERVER not set";
 
     _num_worker = atoi(getenv("DMLC_NUM_WORKER"));
 
@@ -107,6 +106,10 @@ void BytePSGlobal::Init() {
     }
     _is_distributed_job = (_num_worker>1) ? true : _is_distributed_job;
 
+    if (_is_distributed_job) {
+        BPS_CHECK(getenv("DMLC_NUM_SERVER")) << "error: launch distributed job, but env DMLC_NUM_SERVER not set";
+    }
+
     BPS_LOG(DEBUG) << "Number of worker=" << _num_worker << ", launching "
                    << (IsDistributed() ? "" : "non-") << "distributed job";