The Hot Standby software dynamically and transparently switches from writing to the original output file to the new file. There is no need to stop or interrupt database replication operations during the transition to the new output file. The Replicate After_Journal Reopen_Output command performs the following steps to reopen the output file: 1. Closes the current output file in which information about replication operations is recorded. 2. Reopens the output file by opening a new file using the original output file name. On OpenVMS systems, the Hot Standby software opens a new output file using the originally specified file name and a new version number. Thus, you can view the original output file by specifying the older version number. If disk space is a problem, relocate the old output file to another disk. You can enter the Replicate After_Journal Reopen_Output command on either the master or standby node as follows: Enter the command . . . To reopen the output file for the . . . On the master LCS server on the master database database node On the standby LRS server on the standby database database node You must explicitly enable the ability to write replication startup information to an output file by including the Output qualifier when you start replication operations (see the Replicate_After_Journal_Commands Start command for more information), or by specifying the BIND_ALS_OUTPUT_FILE, BIND_ HOT_OUTPUT_FILE, BIND_LCS_OUTPUT_FILE, or BIND_LRS_OUTPUT_FILE logical name. The Replicate After_Journal Reopen_Output command is useful when: o The output file becomes too large For example, as the output file grows over time, you might run out of disk space or notice that the database performance is slow. You can use the Replicate After_Journal Reopen_Output command to free up space on the disk. Once the new output file is open, you should relocate the old output file to a new location or delete the file. If the disk that contains the output file becomes full, the Hot Standby software stops writing information to the file (and on OpenVMS systems, a message is sent to the system operator). Note that replication operations continue, even when write I/O to the output file stops. o You want to view the currently open output file By using the Replicate After_Journal Reopen_Output command, you can capture a snapshot of the output file and examine replication operations without interrupting processing. You can also view the contents of the current output file using the Type command at the OpenVMS system prompt. NOTE You cannot use the Replicate After_Journal Reopen_Output command to change the size or location of the output file; the command is intended to create a new version of an existing output file. o You want to open an output file for a server process that is actively performing replication operations Defining a logical name is useful if you omitted the Output qualifier when you entered the Replicate After_Journal Start command to start replication. You can define a logical name to specify an output file while replication operations are active. This can be done by defining the appropriate logical name, and then invoking the Replicate After_Journal Reopen_ Output command. This allows you to create an output file so the server can start writing to the file. The advantage to defining a logical name is that you do not need to stop and restart the server. Reference: See the Output qualifier discussion under the Replicate_After_Journal_Commands Start Help topic.