I think it would be useful if pg_standby (in version 8.3 contrib) could be observed in some way. Right now I use my own standby script, because every time it runs, it touches a file in a known location. That allows me to monitor that file, and if it is too stale, I know something must have gone wrong (I have an archive_timeout set), and I can send an SNMP trap. Would it be useful to add something similar to pg_standby? Is there a better way to detect a problem with a standby system, or a more appropriate place? The postgres logs do report this also, but it requires more care to properly intercept the "restored log file ... from archive" messages. Regards, Jeff Davis ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 3: Have you checked our extensive FAQ? http://www.postgresql.org/docs/faq