diff --git a/peer/channel/channel.go b/peer/channel/channel.go
index 51685f028fb..ab8d56ec1a1 100644
--- a/peer/channel/channel.go
+++ b/peer/channel/channel.go
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ var (
 	genesisBlockPath string
 
 	// create related variables
-	chainID                    string
+	channelID                  string
 	channelTxFile              string
 	orderingEndpoint           string
 	tls                        bool
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ func resetFlags() {
 	flags = &pflag.FlagSet{}
 
 	flags.StringVarP(&genesisBlockPath, "blockpath", "b", common.UndefinedParamValue, "Path to file containing genesis block")
-	flags.StringVarP(&chainID, "channelID", "c", common.UndefinedParamValue, "In case of a newChain command, the channel ID to create.")
+	flags.StringVarP(&channelID, "channelID", "c", common.UndefinedParamValue, "In case of a newChain command, the channel ID to create.")
 	flags.StringVarP(&channelTxFile, "file", "f", "", "Configuration transaction file generated by a tool such as configtxgen for submitting to orderer")
 	flags.IntVarP(&timeout, "timeout", "t", 5, "Channel creation timeout")
 }
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ func InitCmdFactory(isEndorserRequired EndorserRequirement, isOrdererRequired Or
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error connecting due to  %s", err)
 		}
 
-		cmdFact.DeliverClient = newDeliverClient(conn, client, chainID)
+		cmdFact.DeliverClient = newDeliverClient(conn, client, channelID)
 	}
 	logger.Infof("Endorser and orderer connections initialized")
 	return cmdFact, nil
diff --git a/peer/channel/create.go b/peer/channel/create.go
index ee3413393c5..93d9ae51731 100644
--- a/peer/channel/create.go
+++ b/peer/channel/create.go
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func createChannelFromDefaults(cf *ChannelCmdFactory) (*cb.Envelope, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	chCrtEnv, err := encoder.MakeChannelCreationTransaction(chainID, genesisconfig.SampleConsortiumName, signer, nil)
+	chCrtEnv, err := encoder.MakeChannelCreationTransaction(channelID, genesisconfig.SampleConsortiumName, signer, nil)
 
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -119,12 +119,12 @@ func sanityCheckAndSignConfigTx(envConfigUpdate *cb.Envelope) (*cb.Envelope, err
 
 	// Specifying the chainID on the CLI is usually redundant, as a hack, set it
 	// here if it has not been set explicitly
-	if chainID == "" {
-		chainID = ch.ChannelId
+	if channelID == "" {
+		channelID = ch.ChannelId
 	}
 
-	if ch.ChannelId != chainID {
-		return nil, InvalidCreateTx(fmt.Sprintf("mismatched channel ID %s != %s", ch.ChannelId, chainID))
+	if ch.ChannelId != channelID {
+		return nil, InvalidCreateTx(fmt.Sprintf("mismatched channel ID %s != %s", ch.ChannelId, channelID))
 	}
 
 	configUpdateEnv, err := configtx.UnmarshalConfigUpdateEnvelope(payload.Data)
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ func sanityCheckAndSignConfigTx(envConfigUpdate *cb.Envelope) (*cb.Envelope, err
 
 	configUpdateEnv.Signatures = append(configUpdateEnv.Signatures, configSig)
 
-	return utils.CreateSignedEnvelope(cb.HeaderType_CONFIG_UPDATE, chainID, signer, configUpdateEnv, 0, 0)
+	return utils.CreateSignedEnvelope(cb.HeaderType_CONFIG_UPDATE, channelID, signer, configUpdateEnv, 0, 0)
 }
 
 func sendCreateChainTransaction(cf *ChannelCmdFactory) error {
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ func executeCreate(cf *ChannelCmdFactory) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	file := chainID + ".block"
+	file := channelID + ".block"
 	if err = ioutil.WriteFile(file, b, 0644); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ func executeCreate(cf *ChannelCmdFactory) error {
 
 func create(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string, cf *ChannelCmdFactory) error {
 	//the global chainID filled by the "-c" command
-	if chainID == common.UndefinedParamValue {
+	if channelID == common.UndefinedParamValue {
 		return errors.New("Must supply channel ID")
 	}
 
diff --git a/peer/channel/create_test.go b/peer/channel/create_test.go
index 3f0908998ec..831fdc6639a 100644
--- a/peer/channel/create_test.go
+++ b/peer/channel/create_test.go
@@ -575,10 +575,10 @@ func TestSanityCheckAndSignChannelCreateTx(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Error case 4
 	mockchannel := "mockchannel"
-	cid := chainID
-	chainID = mockchannel
+	cid := channelID
+	channelID = mockchannel
 	defer func() {
-		chainID = cid
+		channelID = cid
 	}()
 	ch := &cb.ChannelHeader{Type: int32(cb.HeaderType_CONFIG_UPDATE), ChannelId: mockchannel}
 	data, err = proto.Marshal(ch)
diff --git a/peer/channel/fetchconfig.go b/peer/channel/fetchconfig.go
index e22c6799f9d..f9a24150f35 100644
--- a/peer/channel/fetchconfig.go
+++ b/peer/channel/fetchconfig.go
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ func fetch(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string, cf *ChannelCmdFactory) error {
 
 	var file string
 	if len(args) == 1 {
-		file = chainID + "_" + args[0] + ".block"
+		file = channelID + "_" + args[0] + ".block"
 	} else {
 		file = args[1]
 	}
diff --git a/peer/channel/getinfo.go b/peer/channel/getinfo.go
index cd2ba6e9078..031210f0c07 100644
--- a/peer/channel/getinfo.go
+++ b/peer/channel/getinfo.go
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ func (cc *endorserClient) getBlockChainInfo() (*cb.BlockchainInfo, error) {
 		ChaincodeSpec: &pb.ChaincodeSpec{
 			Type:        pb.ChaincodeSpec_Type(pb.ChaincodeSpec_Type_value["GOLANG"]),
 			ChaincodeId: &pb.ChaincodeID{Name: "qscc"},
-			Input:       &pb.ChaincodeInput{Args: [][]byte{[]byte(qscc.GetChainInfo), []byte(chainID)}},
+			Input:       &pb.ChaincodeInput{Args: [][]byte{[]byte(qscc.GetChainInfo), []byte(channelID)}},
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ func (cc *endorserClient) getBlockChainInfo() (*cb.BlockchainInfo, error) {
 
 func getinfo(cf *ChannelCmdFactory) error {
 	//the global chainID filled by the "-c" command
-	if chainID == common.UndefinedParamValue {
+	if channelID == common.UndefinedParamValue {
 		return errors.New("Must supply channel ID")
 	}
 
diff --git a/peer/channel/join.go b/peer/channel/join.go
index 7c3cb4096f7..064315452ff 100644
--- a/peer/channel/join.go
+++ b/peer/channel/join.go
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ func executeJoin(cf *ChannelCmdFactory) (err error) {
 	if proposalResp.Response.Status != 0 && proposalResp.Response.Status != 200 {
 		return ProposalFailedErr(fmt.Sprintf("bad proposal response %d", proposalResp.Response.Status))
 	}
-	logger.Infof("Peer joined the channel!")
+	logger.Infof("Successfully submitted proposal to join channel '%s'", channelID)
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/peer/channel/update.go b/peer/channel/update.go
index adc856bc3b8..115063944ea 100644
--- a/peer/channel/update.go
+++ b/peer/channel/update.go
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ func updateCmd(cf *ChannelCmdFactory) *cobra.Command {
 
 func update(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string, cf *ChannelCmdFactory) error {
 	//the global chainID filled by the "-c" command
-	if chainID == common.UndefinedParamValue {
+	if channelID == common.UndefinedParamValue {
 		return errors.New("Must supply channel ID")
 	}