# Promoting a standby server with repmgr

If a primary server fails or needs to be removed from the replication cluster, a new primary server must be designated, to ensure the cluster continues to function correctly. This can be done with , which promotes the standby on the current server to primary.

To demonstrate this, set up a replication cluster with a primary and two attached standby servers so that the cluster looks like this:

         $ repmgr -f /etc/repmgr.conf cluster show
         ID | Name  | Role    | Status    | Upstream | Location | Connection string
        ----+-------+---------+-----------+----------+----------+--------------------------------------
         1  | node1 | primary | * running |          | default  | host=node1 dbname=repmgr user=repmgr
         2  | node2 | standby |   running | node1    | default  | host=node2 dbname=repmgr user=repmgr
         3  | node3 | standby |   running | node1    | default  | host=node3 dbname=repmgr user=repmgr

Stop the current primary with e.g.:

       $ pg_ctl -D /var/lib/postgresql/data -m fast stop

At this point the replication cluster will be in a partially disabled state, with both standbys accepting read-only connections while attempting to connect to the stopped primary. Note that the &repmgr; metadata table will not yet have been updated; executing will note the discrepancy:

        $ repmgr -f /etc/repmgr.conf cluster show
         ID | Name  | Role    | Status        | Upstream | Location | Connection string
        ----+-------+---------+---------------+----------+----------+--------------------------------------
         1  | node1 | primary | ? unreachable |          | default  | host=node1 dbname=repmgr user=repmgr
         2  | node2 | standby |   running     | node1    | default  | host=node2 dbname=repmgr user=repmgr
         3  | node3 | standby |   running     | node1    | default  | host=node3 dbname=repmgr user=repmgr

        WARNING: following issues were detected
        node "node1" (ID: 1) is registered as an active primary but is unreachable

Now promote the first standby with:

       $ repmgr -f /etc/repmgr.conf standby promote

This will produce output similar to the following:

        INFO: connecting to standby database
        NOTICE: promoting standby
        DETAIL: promoting server using "pg_ctl -l /var/log/postgresql/startup.log -w -D '/var/lib/postgresql/data' promote"
        server promoting
        INFO: reconnecting to promoted server
        NOTICE: STANDBY PROMOTE successful
        DETAIL: node 2 was successfully promoted to primary

Executing will show the current state; as there is now an active primary, the previous warning will not be displayed:

        $ repmgr -f /etc/repmgr.conf cluster show
         ID | Name  | Role    | Status    | Upstream | Location | Connection string
        ----+-------+---------+-----------+----------+----------+--------------------------------------
         1  | node1 | primary | - failed  |          | default  | host=node1 dbname=repmgr user=repmgr
         2  | node2 | primary | * running |          | default  | host=node2 dbname=repmgr user=repmgr
         3  | node3 | standby |   running | node1    | default  | host=node3 dbname=repmgr user=repmgr

However the sole remaining standby (`node3`) is still trying to replicate from the failed primary; must now be executed to rectify this situation (see for example).