diff --git a/cmd/geth/chaincmd.go b/cmd/geth/chaincmd.go
index 321551ce05..fe63dfcca6 100644
--- a/cmd/geth/chaincmd.go
+++ b/cmd/geth/chaincmd.go
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ func removeDB(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 		fmt.Println("Removing chaindata...")
 		start := time.Now()
 
-		os.RemoveAll(filepath.Join(ctx.GlobalString(utils.DataDirFlag.Name), "chaindata"))
+		os.RemoveAll(filepath.Join(ctx.GlobalString(utils.DataDirFlag.Name), utils.ChainDbName(ctx)))
 
 		fmt.Printf("Removed in %v\n", time.Since(start))
 	} else {
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ func upgradeDB(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 		utils.Fatalf("Unable to export chain for reimport %s", err)
 	}
 	chainDb.Close()
-	os.RemoveAll(filepath.Join(ctx.GlobalString(utils.DataDirFlag.Name), "chaindata"))
+	os.RemoveAll(filepath.Join(ctx.GlobalString(utils.DataDirFlag.Name), utils.ChainDbName(ctx)))
 
 	// Import the chain file.
 	chain, chainDb = utils.MakeChain(ctx)
diff --git a/cmd/geth/main.go b/cmd/geth/main.go
index 898a20cfe5..f32d341b5d 100644
--- a/cmd/geth/main.go
+++ b/cmd/geth/main.go
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ func initGenesis(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 		utils.Fatalf("must supply path to genesis JSON file")
 	}
 
-	chainDb, err := ethdb.NewLDBDatabase(filepath.Join(utils.MustMakeDataDir(ctx), "chaindata"), 0, 0)
+	chainDb, err := ethdb.NewLDBDatabase(filepath.Join(utils.MustMakeDataDir(ctx), utils.ChainDbName(ctx)), 0, 0)
 	if err != nil {
 		utils.Fatalf("could not open database: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/utils/flags.go b/cmd/utils/flags.go
index 50d3ca43a7..2d2281d984 100644
--- a/cmd/utils/flags.go
+++ b/cmd/utils/flags.go
@@ -708,8 +708,8 @@ func MakeSystemNode(name, version string, relconf release.Config, extra []byte,
 		Genesis:                 MakeGenesisBlock(ctx),
 		FastSync:                ctx.GlobalBool(FastSyncFlag.Name),
 		LightMode:               ctx.GlobalBool(LightModeFlag.Name),
-		LightServ:				  ctx.GlobalInt(LightServFlag.Name),
-		LightPeers:				  ctx.GlobalInt(LightPeersFlag.Name),
+		LightServ:               ctx.GlobalInt(LightServFlag.Name),
+		LightPeers:              ctx.GlobalInt(LightPeersFlag.Name),
 		BlockChainVersion:       ctx.GlobalInt(BlockchainVersionFlag.Name),
 		DatabaseCache:           ctx.GlobalInt(CacheFlag.Name),
 		DatabaseHandles:         MakeDatabaseHandles(),
@@ -789,7 +789,7 @@ func MakeSystemNode(name, version string, relconf release.Config, extra []byte,
 	}); err != nil {
 		Fatalf("Failed to register the account manager service: %v", err)
 	}
-	
+
 	if ethConf.LightMode {
 		if err := stack.Register(func(ctx *node.ServiceContext) (node.Service, error) {
 			return les.New(ctx, ethConf)
@@ -866,15 +866,24 @@ func MustMakeChainConfigFromDb(ctx *cli.Context, db ethdb.Database) *core.ChainC
 	return &core.ChainConfig{HomesteadBlock: homesteadBlockNo}
 }
 
+func ChainDbName(ctx *cli.Context) string {
+	if ctx.GlobalBool(LightModeFlag.Name) {
+		return "lightchaindata"
+	} else {
+		return "chaindata"
+	}
+}
+
 // MakeChainDatabase open an LevelDB using the flags passed to the client and will hard crash if it fails.
 func MakeChainDatabase(ctx *cli.Context) ethdb.Database {
 	var (
 		datadir = MustMakeDataDir(ctx)
 		cache   = ctx.GlobalInt(CacheFlag.Name)
 		handles = MakeDatabaseHandles()
+		name    = ChainDbName(ctx)
 	)
 
-	chainDb, err := ethdb.NewLDBDatabase(filepath.Join(datadir, "chaindata"), cache, handles)
+	chainDb, err := ethdb.NewLDBDatabase(filepath.Join(datadir, name), cache, handles)
 	if err != nil {
 		Fatalf("Could not open database: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/eth/backend.go b/eth/backend.go
index b13d408351..360acacfc9 100644
--- a/eth/backend.go
+++ b/eth/backend.go
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ func (s *FullNodeService) AddLesServer(ls LesServer) {
 // New creates a new FullNodeService object (including the
 // initialisation of the common Ethereum object)
 func New(ctx *node.ServiceContext, config *Config) (*FullNodeService, error) {
-	chainDb, dappDb, err := CreateDBs(ctx, config)
+	chainDb, dappDb, err := CreateDBs(ctx, config, "chaindata")
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -257,9 +257,9 @@ func New(ctx *node.ServiceContext, config *Config) (*FullNodeService, error) {
 }
 
 // CreateDBs creates the chain and dapp databases for an Ethereum service
-func CreateDBs(ctx *node.ServiceContext, config *Config) (chainDb, dappDb ethdb.Database, err error) {
+func CreateDBs(ctx *node.ServiceContext, config *Config, name string) (chainDb, dappDb ethdb.Database, err error) {
 	// Open the chain database and perform any upgrades needed
-	chainDb, err = ctx.OpenDatabase("chaindata", config.DatabaseCache, config.DatabaseHandles)
+	chainDb, err = ctx.OpenDatabase(name, config.DatabaseCache, config.DatabaseHandles)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/ethdb/database.go b/ethdb/database.go
index dffb42e2b0..83b6896311 100644
--- a/ethdb/database.go
+++ b/ethdb/database.go
@@ -39,15 +39,17 @@ var OpenFileLimit = 64
 // cacheRatio specifies how the total alloted cache is distributed between the
 // various system databases.
 var cacheRatio = map[string]float64{
-	"dapp":      0.0,
-	"chaindata": 1.0,
+	"dapp":           0.0,
+	"chaindata":      1.0,
+	"lightchaindata": 1.0,
 }
 
 // handleRatio specifies how the total alloted file descriptors is distributed
 // between the various system databases.
 var handleRatio = map[string]float64{
-	"dapp":      0.0,
-	"chaindata": 1.0,
+	"dapp":           0.0,
+	"chaindata":      1.0,
+	"lightchaindata": 1.0,
 }
 
 type LDBDatabase struct {
diff --git a/les/backend.go b/les/backend.go
index 8b2e006d88..2eb2429a0e 100644
--- a/les/backend.go
+++ b/les/backend.go
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ type LightNodeService struct {
 }
 
 func New(ctx *node.ServiceContext, config *eth.Config) (*LightNodeService, error) {
-	chainDb, dappDb, err := eth.CreateDBs(ctx, config)
+	chainDb, dappDb, err := eth.CreateDBs(ctx, config, "lightchaindata")
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}