diff --git a/first-network/.env b/first-network/.env
index 4fd2ee0d73..a6665fed28 100644
--- a/first-network/.env
+++ b/first-network/.env
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=net
+IMAGE_TAG=latest
diff --git a/first-network/base/docker-compose-base.yaml b/first-network/base/docker-compose-base.yaml
index d31c964532..4acacc7cbd 100644
--- a/first-network/base/docker-compose-base.yaml
+++ b/first-network/base/docker-compose-base.yaml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ services:
 
   orderer.example.com:
     container_name: orderer.example.com
-    image: hyperledger/fabric-orderer
+    image: hyperledger/fabric-orderer:$IMAGE_TAG
     environment:
       - ORDERER_GENERAL_LOGLEVEL=debug
       - ORDERER_GENERAL_LISTENADDRESS=0.0.0.0
diff --git a/first-network/base/peer-base.yaml b/first-network/base/peer-base.yaml
index 3063386f30..063001f601 100644
--- a/first-network/base/peer-base.yaml
+++ b/first-network/base/peer-base.yaml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ version: '2'
 
 services:
   peer-base:
-    image: hyperledger/fabric-peer
+    image: hyperledger/fabric-peer:$IMAGE_TAG
     environment:
       - CORE_VM_ENDPOINT=unix:///host/var/run/docker.sock
       # the following setting starts chaincode containers on the same
diff --git a/first-network/byfn.sh b/first-network/byfn.sh
index 6d2c16be38..172f96d587 100755
--- a/first-network/byfn.sh
+++ b/first-network/byfn.sh
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ export FABRIC_CFG_PATH=${PWD}
 # Print the usage message
 function printHelp () {
   echo "Usage: "
-  echo "  byfn.sh up|down|restart|generate [-c <channel name>] [-t <timeout>] [-d <delay>] [-f <docker-compose-file>] [-s <dbtype>]"
+  echo "  byfn.sh up|down|restart|generate [-c <channel name>] [-t <timeout>] [-d <delay>] [-f <docker-compose-file>] [-s <dbtype>] [-i <imagetag>]"
   echo "  byfn.sh -h|--help (print this message)"
   echo "    <mode> - one of 'up', 'down', 'restart' or 'generate'"
   echo "      - 'up' - bring up the network with docker-compose up"
@@ -47,12 +47,14 @@ function printHelp () {
   echo "    -f <docker-compose-file> - specify which docker-compose file use (defaults to docker-compose-cli.yaml)"
   echo "    -s <dbtype> - the database backend to use: goleveldb (default) or couchdb"
   echo "    -l <language> - the chaincode language: golang (default) or node"
+  echo "    -i <imagetag> - the tag to be used to launch the network (defaults to \"latest\")"
   echo
   echo "Typically, one would first generate the required certificates and "
   echo "genesis block, then bring up the network. e.g.:"
   echo
   echo "	byfn.sh generate -c mychannel"
   echo "	byfn.sh up -c mychannel -s couchdb"
+  echo "        byfn.sh up -c mychannel -s couchdb -i 1.1.0-alpha"
   echo "	byfn.sh up -l node"
   echo "	byfn.sh down -c mychannel"
   echo
@@ -112,9 +114,9 @@ function networkUp () {
     generateChannelArtifacts
   fi
   if [ "${IF_COUCHDB}" == "couchdb" ]; then
-      docker-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE -f $COMPOSE_FILE_COUCH up -d 2>&1
+      IMAGE_TAG=$IMAGETAG docker-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE -f $COMPOSE_FILE_COUCH up -d 2>&1
   else
-      docker-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE up -d 2>&1
+      IMAGE_TAG=$IMAGETAG docker-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE up -d 2>&1
   fi
   if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     echo "ERROR !!!! Unable to start network"
@@ -322,6 +324,8 @@ COMPOSE_FILE=docker-compose-cli.yaml
 COMPOSE_FILE_COUCH=docker-compose-couch.yaml
 # use golang as the default language for chaincode
 LANGUAGE=golang
+# default image tag
+IMAGETAG="latest"
 # Parse commandline args
 if [ "$1" = "-m" ];then	# supports old usage, muscle memory is powerful!
     shift
@@ -341,7 +345,7 @@ else
   exit 1
 fi
 
-while getopts "h?c:t:d:f:s:l:" opt; do
+while getopts "h?c:t:d:f:s:l:i:" opt; do
   case "$opt" in
     h|\?)
       printHelp
@@ -359,6 +363,8 @@ while getopts "h?c:t:d:f:s:l:" opt; do
     ;;
     l)  LANGUAGE=$OPTARG
     ;;
+    i)  IMAGETAG=`uname -m`"-"$OPTARG
+    ;;
   esac
 done
 
diff --git a/first-network/docker-compose-cli.yaml b/first-network/docker-compose-cli.yaml
index 30ad3f36f3..44e45f5d49 100644
--- a/first-network/docker-compose-cli.yaml
+++ b/first-network/docker-compose-cli.yaml
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ services:
 
   cli:
     container_name: cli
-    image: hyperledger/fabric-tools
+    image: hyperledger/fabric-tools:$IMAGE_TAG
     tty: true
     environment:
       - GOPATH=/opt/gopath
diff --git a/first-network/docker-compose-couch.yaml b/first-network/docker-compose-couch.yaml
index b14c7f5ca9..992031917a 100644
--- a/first-network/docker-compose-couch.yaml
+++ b/first-network/docker-compose-couch.yaml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ networks:
 services:
   couchdb0:
     container_name: couchdb0
-    image: hyperledger/fabric-couchdb
+    image: hyperledger/fabric-couchdb:$IMAGE_TAG
     # Populate the COUCHDB_USER and COUCHDB_PASSWORD to set an admin user and password
     # for CouchDB.  This will prevent CouchDB from operating in an "Admin Party" mode.
     environment:
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ services:
 
   couchdb1:
     container_name: couchdb1
-    image: hyperledger/fabric-couchdb
+    image: hyperledger/fabric-couchdb:$IMAGE_TAG
     # Populate the COUCHDB_USER and COUCHDB_PASSWORD to set an admin user and password
     # for CouchDB.  This will prevent CouchDB from operating in an "Admin Party" mode.
     environment:
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ services:
 
   couchdb2:
     container_name: couchdb2
-    image: hyperledger/fabric-couchdb
+    image: hyperledger/fabric-couchdb:$IMAGE_TAG
     # Populate the COUCHDB_USER and COUCHDB_PASSWORD to set an admin user and password
     # for CouchDB.  This will prevent CouchDB from operating in an "Admin Party" mode.
     environment:
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ services:
 
   couchdb3:
     container_name: couchdb3
-    image: hyperledger/fabric-couchdb
+    image: hyperledger/fabric-couchdb:$IMAGE_TAG
     # Populate the COUCHDB_USER and COUCHDB_PASSWORD to set an admin user and password
     # for CouchDB.  This will prevent CouchDB from operating in an "Admin Party" mode.
     environment:
diff --git a/first-network/docker-compose-e2e-template.yaml b/first-network/docker-compose-e2e-template.yaml
index def9b16dac..650b9651cf 100644
--- a/first-network/docker-compose-e2e-template.yaml
+++ b/first-network/docker-compose-e2e-template.yaml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ networks:
   byfn:
 services:
   ca0:
-    image: hyperledger/fabric-ca
+    image: hyperledger/fabric-ca:$IMAGE_TAG
     environment:
       - FABRIC_CA_HOME=/etc/hyperledger/fabric-ca-server
       - FABRIC_CA_SERVER_CA_NAME=ca-org1
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ services:
       - byfn
 
   ca1:
-    image: hyperledger/fabric-ca
+    image: hyperledger/fabric-ca:$IMAGE_TAG
     environment:
       - FABRIC_CA_HOME=/etc/hyperledger/fabric-ca-server
       - FABRIC_CA_SERVER_CA_NAME=ca-org2
diff --git a/first-network/eyfn.sh b/first-network/eyfn.sh
index e89abfcbb9..1d0bf090fc 100755
--- a/first-network/eyfn.sh
+++ b/first-network/eyfn.sh
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ function printHelp () {
   echo "    -f <docker-compose-file> - specify which docker-compose file use (defaults to docker-compose-cli.yaml)"
   echo "    -s <dbtype> - the database backend to use: goleveldb (default) or couchdb"
   echo "    -l <language> - the chaincode language: golang (default) or node"
+  echo "    -i <imagetag> - the tag to be used to launch the network (defaults to \"latest\")"
   echo
   echo "Typically, one would first generate the required certificates and "
   echo "genesis block, then bring up the network. e.g.:"
@@ -97,9 +98,9 @@ function networkUp () {
   fi
   # start org3 peers
   if [ "${IF_COUCHDB}" == "couchdb" ]; then
-      docker-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE_ORG3 -f $COMPOSE_FILE_COUCH_ORG3 up -d 2>&1
+      IMAGE_TAG=${IMAGETAG} docker-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE_ORG3 -f $COMPOSE_FILE_COUCH_ORG3 up -d 2>&1
   else
-      docker-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE_ORG3 up -d 2>&1
+      IMAGE_TAG=$IMAGETAG docker-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE_ORG3 up -d 2>&1
   fi
   if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     echo "ERROR !!!! Unable to start Org3 network"
@@ -241,6 +242,8 @@ COMPOSE_FILE_ORG3=docker-compose-org3.yaml
 COMPOSE_FILE_COUCH_ORG3=docker-compose-couch-org3.yaml
 # use golang as the default language for chaincode
 LANGUAGE=golang
+# default image tag
+IMAGETAG="latest"
 
 # Parse commandline args
 if [ "$1" = "-m" ];then	# supports old usage, muscle memory is powerful!
@@ -260,7 +263,7 @@ else
   printHelp
   exit 1
 fi
-while getopts "h?c:t:d:f:s:l:" opt; do
+while getopts "h?c:t:d:f:s:l:i:" opt; do
   case "$opt" in
     h|\?)
       printHelp
@@ -278,6 +281,8 @@ while getopts "h?c:t:d:f:s:l:" opt; do
     ;;
     l)  LANGUAGE=$OPTARG
     ;;
+    i)  IMAGETAG=$OPTARG
+    ;;
   esac
 done