Start & Stop MRP Process in Oracle Data Guard

Article Summary

Step-by-step guide to start, stop, and monitor the Managed Recovery Process (MRP) on an Oracle Data Guard physical standby database, including use of the DISCONNECT option.

MRP applies redo logs on a physical standby to keep it synchronized with primary. Starting/stopping MRP controls redo apply.

1. Verify Standby Role & State

-- Confirm standby database role and state
SELECT DATABASE_ROLE, OPEN_MODE FROM V$DATABASE;

Expected output:

DATABASE_ROLE     OPEN_MODE
----------------  --------
PHYSICAL STANDBY  MOUNTED

    2. Start MRP

    -- Start managed recovery (redo apply) in background (recommended)
    ALTER DATABASE RECOVER MANAGED STANDBY DATABASE USING CURRENT LOGFILE DISCONNECT;
    
    -- (Optional) Enable real-time apply in background
    ALTER DATABASE RECOVER MANAGED STANDBY DATABASE REALTIME APPLY DISCONNECT;

    Note: Use DISCONNECT to run MRP in background, freeing your session for other work.

    3. Verify MRP Status

    -- Check MRP process status
    SELECT PROCESS, STATUS FROM V$MANAGED_STANDBY WHERE PROCESS LIKE 'MRP%';

    Expected status: APPLYING_LOG or WAIT_FOR_LOG

    4. Stop MRP

    -- Stop managed recovery process
    ALTER DATABASE RECOVER MANAGED STANDBY DATABASE CANCEL;

    5. Confirm MRP is Stopped

    -- Confirm MRP stopped
    SELECT PROCESS, STATUS FROM V$MANAGED_STANDBY WHERE PROCESS LIKE 'MRP%';

    Expected status: CANCELLED

    6. Additional Monitoring

    -- Detailed recovery process status
    SELECT PROCESS, STATUS, THREAD#, SEQUENCE# FROM V$MANAGED_STANDBY;
    
    -- View archived logs applied (DEST_ID usually 2)
    SELECT THREAD#, SEQUENCE#, APPLIED FROM V$ARCHIVED_LOG WHERE DEST_ID = 2 ORDER BY SEQUENCE#;

    7. Data Guard Broker Monitoring (if used)

    DGMGRL> SHOW CONFIGURATION;
    DGMGRL> SHOW DATABASE '<standby_db_name>';

    Notes

    • MRP must run on a physical standby in MOUNT mode.
    • DISCONNECT runs MRP asynchronously, freeing the SQL session immediately. Without it, session remains connected until MRP is stopped.
    • Real-time apply minimizes redo apply lag but is optional.
    • Always monitor alert logs and Data Guard broker logs for issues.
    • Stopping MRP pauses redo apply but does not affect data consistency.
    Was this helpful?