diff --git a/config/programs.m4 b/config/programs.m4
index 637f47a356..e1c058449b 100644
--- a/config/programs.m4
+++ b/config/programs.m4
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 # PGAC_PATH_BISON
 # ---------------
 # Look for Bison, set the output variable BISON to its path if found.
-# Reject versions before 1.875 (they have bugs or capacity limits).
+# Reject versions before 1.875 or after 2.9 (they have bugs or capacity limits).
 # Note we do not accept other implementations of yacc.
 
 AC_DEFUN([PGAC_PATH_BISON],
@@ -16,11 +16,11 @@ fi
 if test "$BISON"; then
   pgac_bison_version=`$BISON --version 2>/dev/null | sed q`
   AC_MSG_NOTICE([using $pgac_bison_version])
-  if echo "$pgac_bison_version" | $AWK '{ if ([$]4 < 1.875) exit 0; else exit 1;}'
+  if echo "$pgac_bison_version" | $AWK '{ if ([$]4 < 1.875 && [$]4 > 2.9) exit 0; else exit 1;}'
   then
     AC_MSG_WARN([
-*** The installed version of Bison, $BISON, is too old to use with PostgreSQL.
-*** Bison version 1.875 or later is required, but this is $pgac_bison_version.])
+*** The installed version of Bison, $BISON, is too old or too new to use with HAWQ.
+*** Bison version between 1.875 and 2.9 is required, but this is $pgac_bison_version.])
     BISON=""
   fi
 fi
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 63ac825ece..b0063d30b2 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -7435,14 +7435,14 @@ if test "$BISON"; then
   pgac_bison_version=`$BISON --version 2>/dev/null | sed q`
   { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: using $pgac_bison_version" >&5
 $as_echo "$as_me: using $pgac_bison_version" >&6;}
-  if echo "$pgac_bison_version" | $AWK '{ if ($4 < 1.875) exit 0; else exit 1;}'
+  if echo "$pgac_bison_version" | $AWK '{ if ($4 < 1.875 && $4 > 2.9) exit 0; else exit 1;}'
   then
     { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: WARNING:
-*** The installed version of Bison, $BISON, is too old to use with PostgreSQL.
-*** Bison version 1.875 or later is required, but this is $pgac_bison_version." >&5
+*** The installed version of Bison, $BISON, is too old or too new to use with HAWQ.
+*** Bison version between 1.875 and 2.9 is required, but this is $pgac_bison_version." >&5
 $as_echo "$as_me: WARNING:
-*** The installed version of Bison, $BISON, is too old to use with PostgreSQL.
-*** Bison version 1.875 or later is required, but this is $pgac_bison_version." >&2;}
+*** The installed version of Bison, $BISON, is too old or too new to use with HAWQ.
+*** Bison version between 1.875 and 2.9 is required, but this is $pgac_bison_version." >&2;}
     BISON=""
   fi
 fi
diff --git a/contrib/hawq-docker/centos7-docker/hawq-dev/Dockerfile b/contrib/hawq-docker/centos7-docker/hawq-dev/Dockerfile
index 58d4ef0bd8..e1678c1276 100644
--- a/contrib/hawq-docker/centos7-docker/hawq-dev/Dockerfile
+++ b/contrib/hawq-docker/centos7-docker/hawq-dev/Dockerfile
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ MAINTAINER Richard Guo <riguo@pivotal.io>
 RUN yum install -y epel-release && \
  yum makecache && \
  yum install -y man passwd sudo tar which git mlocate links make bzip2 net-tools \
- autoconf automake libtool m4 gcc gcc-c++ gdb bison flex cmake gperf maven indent \
+ autoconf automake libtool m4 gcc gcc-c++ gdb flex cmake gperf maven indent \
  libuuid-devel krb5-devel libgsasl-devel expat-devel libxml2-devel \
  perl-ExtUtils-Embed pam-devel python-devel libcurl-devel snappy-devel \
  thrift-devel libyaml-devel libevent-devel bzip2-devel openssl-devel \
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ RUN yum install -y epel-release && \
  openssh-clients openssh-server perl-JSON && \
  yum clean all
 
+RUN rpm -ivh --nodeps   https://rpmfind.net/linux/centos/6.10/os/x86_64/Packages/bison-2.4.1-5.el6.x86_64.rpm
+
 RUN pip --retries=50 --timeout=300 install pycrypto
 
 # OS requirement