diff --git a/src/main/java/com/lambdaworks/redis/protocol/ChannelLogDescriptor.java b/src/main/java/com/lambdaworks/redis/protocol/ChannelLogDescriptor.java
index 1d73915c31..b1a1e334cc 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/lambdaworks/redis/protocol/ChannelLogDescriptor.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/lambdaworks/redis/protocol/ChannelLogDescriptor.java
@@ -23,7 +23,11 @@ static String logDescriptor(Channel channel) {
         }
 
         if (!channel.isActive()) {
-            buffer.append(" (inactive)");
+            if(buffer.length() != 0){
+                buffer.append(' ');
+            }
+
+            buffer.append("(inactive)");
         }
 
         return buffer.toString();
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/lambdaworks/redis/protocol/CommandHandler.java b/src/main/java/com/lambdaworks/redis/protocol/CommandHandler.java
index 10fc41b0fb..39262c6640 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/lambdaworks/redis/protocol/CommandHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/lambdaworks/redis/protocol/CommandHandler.java
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import java.nio.channels.ClosedChannelException;
 import java.nio.charset.Charset;
 import java.util.*;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
 import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock;
 
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@
 import com.lambdaworks.redis.resource.ClientResources;
 
 import io.netty.buffer.ByteBuf;
+import io.netty.buffer.ByteBufAllocator;
 import io.netty.channel.Channel;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelDuplexHandler;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelFuture;
@@ -48,6 +50,7 @@ public class CommandHandler<K, V> extends ChannelDuplexHandler implements RedisC
 
     private static final InternalLogger logger = InternalLoggerFactory.getInstance(CommandHandler.class);
     private static final WriteLogListener WRITE_LOG_LISTENER = new WriteLogListener();
+    private static final AtomicLong CHANNEL_COUNTER = new AtomicLong();
 
     /**
      * When we encounter an unexpected IOException we look for these {@link Throwable#getMessage() messages} (because we have no
@@ -57,6 +60,7 @@ public class CommandHandler<K, V> extends ChannelDuplexHandler implements RedisC
     private static final Set<String> SUPPRESS_IO_EXCEPTION_MESSAGES = ImmutableSet.of("Connection reset by peer", "Broken pipe",
             "Connection timed out");
 
+    protected final long commandHandlerId = CHANNEL_COUNTER.incrementAndGet();
     protected final ClientOptions clientOptions;
     protected final ClientResources clientResources;
     protected final Queue<RedisCommand<K, V, ?>> queue;
@@ -65,9 +69,9 @@ public class CommandHandler<K, V> extends ChannelDuplexHandler implements RedisC
     // all access to the commandBuffer is synchronized
     protected volatile Deque<RedisCommand<K, V, ?>> commandBuffer = newCommandBuffer();
     protected final Deque<RedisCommand<K, V, ?>> transportBuffer = newCommandBuffer();
-    protected ByteBuf buffer;
-    protected RedisStateMachine<K, V> rsm;
-    protected Channel channel;
+    protected final ByteBuf buffer = ByteBufAllocator.DEFAULT.directBuffer(8192 * 8);
+    protected final RedisStateMachine<K, V> rsm = new RedisStateMachine<K, V>();
+    protected volatile Channel channel;
     private volatile ConnectionWatchdog connectionWatchdog;
 
     // If TRACE level logging has been enabled at startup.
@@ -111,17 +115,36 @@ public CommandHandler(ClientOptions clientOptions, ClientResources clientResourc
      */
     @Override
     public void channelRegistered(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
-        setState(LifecycleState.REGISTERED);
-        buffer = ctx.alloc().directBuffer(8192 * 8);
-        rsm = new RedisStateMachine<K, V>();
+
         synchronized (stateLock) {
             channel = ctx.channel();
         }
+
+        if (debugEnabled) {
+            logPrefix = null;
+            logger.debug("{} channelRegistered()", logPrefix());
+        }
+
+        setState(LifecycleState.REGISTERED);
+
+        if(buffer.refCnt() > 0) {
+            buffer.clear();
+        }
+        ctx.fireChannelRegistered();
     }
 
     @Override
     public void channelUnregistered(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
-        releaseBuffer();
+
+        if (debugEnabled) {
+            logger.debug("{} channelUnregistered()", logPrefix());
+        }
+
+        if (channel != null && ctx.channel() != channel) {
+            logger.debug("{} My channel and ctx.channel mismatch. Propagating event to other listeners", logPrefix());
+            ctx.fireChannelUnregistered();
+            return;
+        }
 
         if (lifecycleState == LifecycleState.CLOSED) {
             cancelCommands("Connection closed");
@@ -129,6 +152,8 @@ public void channelUnregistered(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
         synchronized (stateLock) {
             channel = null;
         }
+
+        ctx.fireChannelUnregistered();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -139,15 +164,30 @@ public void channelUnregistered(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
     public void channelRead(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, Object msg) throws Exception {
         ByteBuf input = (ByteBuf) msg;
 
-        if (!input.isReadable() || input.refCnt() == 0 || buffer == null) {
+        if (!input.isReadable() || input.refCnt() == 0) {
+            logger.warn("{} Input not readable {}, {}", logPrefix(), input.isReadable(), input.refCnt());
             return;
         }
 
+        if(debugEnabled) {
+            logger.debug("{} Received: {} bytes, {} queued commands", logPrefix(), input.readableBytes(), queue.size());
+        }
+
         try {
+            if (buffer.refCnt() < 1) {
+                logger.warn("{} Ignoring received data for closed or abandoned connection", logPrefix());
+                return;
+            }
+
+            if (debugEnabled && ctx.channel() != channel) {
+                logger.debug("{} Ignoring data for a non-registered channel {}", logPrefix(), ctx.channel());
+                return;
+            }
+
             buffer.writeBytes(input);
 
             if (traceEnabled) {
-                logger.trace("{} Received: {}", logPrefix(), buffer.toString(Charset.defaultCharset()).trim());
+                logger.trace("{} Buffer: {}", logPrefix(), input.toString(Charset.defaultCharset()).trim());
             }
 
             decode(ctx, buffer);
@@ -181,7 +221,7 @@ protected void decode(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, ByteBuf buffer) throws Interrup
 
             command.complete();
 
-            if (buffer != null && buffer.refCnt() != 0) {
+            if (buffer.refCnt() != 0) {
                 buffer.discardReadBytes();
             }
         }
@@ -564,6 +604,12 @@ public void channelInactive(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
             logger.debug("{} channelInactive()", logPrefix());
         }
 
+        if (channel != null && ctx.channel() != channel) {
+            logger.debug("{} My channel and ctx.channel mismatch. Propagating event to other listeners.", logPrefix());
+            super.channelInactive(ctx);
+            return;
+        }
+
         try {
             writeLock.lock();
             setStateIfNotClosed(LifecycleState.DISCONNECTED);
@@ -589,10 +635,7 @@ public void channelInactive(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
             writeLock.unlock();
         }
 
-        if (buffer != null) {
-            rsm.reset();
-            buffer.clear();
-        }
+        rsm.reset();
 
         if (debugEnabled) {
             logger.debug("{} channelInactive() done", logPrefix());
@@ -708,12 +751,9 @@ public void close() {
         } else if (connectionWatchdog != null) {
             connectionWatchdog.prepareClose(new ConnectionEvents.PrepareClose());
         }
-    }
 
-    private void releaseBuffer() {
-        if (buffer != null) {
+        if (buffer.refCnt() > 0) {
             buffer.release();
-            buffer = null;
         }
     }
 
@@ -737,8 +777,9 @@ public void reset() {
             writeLock.unlock();
         }
 
-        if (buffer != null) {
-            rsm.reset();
+        rsm.reset();
+
+        if (buffer.refCnt() > 0) {
             buffer.clear();
         }
     }
@@ -777,7 +818,8 @@ protected String logPrefix() {
             return logPrefix;
         }
         StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer(64);
-        buffer.append('[').append(ChannelLogDescriptor.logDescriptor(channel)).append(']');
+        buffer.append('[').append("chid=0x").append(Long.toHexString(commandHandlerId)).append(", ")
+                .append(ChannelLogDescriptor.logDescriptor(channel)).append(']');
         return logPrefix = buffer.toString();
     }