The connect string that the primary server uses to connect to the secondary server is specified by using the HotStandby.Connect parameter.

If the connection between the primary and secondary servers is broken or not yet established, you must run the following command on the primary or secondary server:

For example, after running the netcopy command, you normally connect the servers. Note that there is no automatic connect mechanism in the HotStandby servers.

After you run the connect command, a confirmation message is displayed if the connection between the primary and secondary servers is successful. If the primary and secondary servers are connected, but the transaction log is not yet fully copied to the secondary server, the primary server returns the following message: Started the process of connecting the servers.

If the state of the primary server was PRIMARY UNCERTAIN or PRIMARY ALONE when you ran the command, and if the connection is successful, the state of the primary server changes to PRIMARY ACTIVE. If the connection is unsuccessful, the state of the primary server remains PRIMARY UNCERTAIN or PRIMARY ALONE.

After the primary server is connected to the secondary server, the primary server and secondary server automatically start performing catchup. During catchup, the primary server brings the secondary database up-to-date by copying the primary transaction log to the secondary server. Then the secondary server rolls forward the transaction log and updates its copy of the database

For more information about querying the connect status of primary and secondary servers, see Displaying connect status information. For more information about reconnecting an application to the primary server, see Reconnecting to primary servers from applications.