diff --git a/arangod/Cluster/ApplicationCluster.cpp b/arangod/Cluster/ApplicationCluster.cpp
index 1bd2d60aa6..35dbea5743 100644
--- a/arangod/Cluster/ApplicationCluster.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Cluster/ApplicationCluster.cpp
@@ -444,8 +444,26 @@ bool ApplicationCluster::open () {
       }
     }
     else if (role == ServerState::ROLE_SECONDARY) {
-      locker.unlock();
-      LOG_FATAL_AND_EXIT("secondary server tasks are currently not implemented");
+      std::string keyName = std::string("\"") + _myId + std::string("\"");
+      TRI_json_t* json = TRI_CreateStringCopyJson(TRI_UNKNOWN_MEM_ZONE, 
+                                              keyName.c_str(), keyName.size());
+
+      if (json == nullptr) {
+        locker.unlock();
+        LOG_FATAL_AND_EXIT("out of memory");
+      }
+
+      ServerState::instance()->setState(ServerState::STATE_SYNCING);
+
+      // register server
+      AgencyCommResult result = comm.setValue("Current/DBServers/" + 
+                         ServerState::instance()->getPrimaryId(), json, 0.0);
+      TRI_FreeJson(TRI_UNKNOWN_MEM_ZONE, json);
+
+      if (! result.successful()) {
+        locker.unlock();
+        LOG_FATAL_AND_EXIT("unable to register secondary db server in agency");
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/arangod/Cluster/ServerState.cpp b/arangod/Cluster/ServerState.cpp
index b896ecd1ec..f81e9adda1 100644
--- a/arangod/Cluster/ServerState.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Cluster/ServerState.cpp
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ ServerState::ServerState ()
     _authentication(),
     _lock(),
     _role(),
+    _idOfPrimary(""),
     _state(STATE_UNDEFINED),
     _initialized(false),
     _clusterEnabled(false) {
@@ -364,6 +365,15 @@ std::string ServerState::getId () {
   return _id;
 }
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief get the server id
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+std::string ServerState::getPrimaryId () {
+  READ_LOCKER(_lock);
+  return _idOfPrimary;
+}
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief set the server id
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -949,6 +959,7 @@ ServerState::RoleEnum ServerState::checkServersList (std::string const& id) {
 
       if (name == id) {
         role = ServerState::ROLE_SECONDARY;
+        _idOfPrimary = it->first;
         break;
       }
 
diff --git a/arangod/Cluster/ServerState.h b/arangod/Cluster/ServerState.h
index e0fae55c2a..a4f1aef692 100644
--- a/arangod/Cluster/ServerState.h
+++ b/arangod/Cluster/ServerState.h
@@ -237,6 +237,12 @@ namespace triagens {
 
         std::string getId ();
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief for a secondary get the server id of its primary
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+        std::string getPrimaryId ();
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief get the server description
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -566,6 +572,12 @@ namespace triagens {
 
         std::atomic<int> _role;
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief a secondary stores the ID of its primary here:
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+        std::string _idOfPrimary;
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief the current state
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/arangod/Cluster/v8-cluster.cpp b/arangod/Cluster/v8-cluster.cpp
index d7754a343a..bbe75c9d44 100644
--- a/arangod/Cluster/v8-cluster.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Cluster/v8-cluster.cpp
@@ -1201,6 +1201,23 @@ static void JS_IdServerState (const v8::FunctionCallbackInfo<v8::Value>& args) {
   TRI_V8_TRY_CATCH_END
 }
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief return the primary servers id (only for secondaries)
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+static void JS_IdOfPrimaryServerState (const v8::FunctionCallbackInfo<v8::Value>& args) {
+  TRI_V8_TRY_CATCH_BEGIN(isolate);
+  v8::HandleScope scope(isolate);
+
+  if (args.Length() != 0) {
+    TRI_V8_THROW_EXCEPTION_USAGE("idOfPrimary()");
+  }
+
+  const std::string id = ServerState::instance()->getPrimaryId();
+  TRI_V8_RETURN_STD_STRING(id);
+  TRI_V8_TRY_CATCH_END
+}
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief return the servers description
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -2167,6 +2184,7 @@ void TRI_InitV8Cluster (v8::Isolate* isolate, v8::Handle<v8::Context> context) {
   TRI_AddMethodVocbase(isolate, rt, TRI_V8_ASCII_STRING("flush"), JS_FlushServerState, true);
   TRI_AddMethodVocbase(isolate, rt, TRI_V8_ASCII_STRING("localInfo"), JS_LocalInfoServerState);
   TRI_AddMethodVocbase(isolate, rt, TRI_V8_ASCII_STRING("id"), JS_IdServerState);
+  TRI_AddMethodVocbase(isolate, rt, TRI_V8_ASCII_STRING("idOfPrimary"), JS_IdOfPrimaryServerState);
   TRI_AddMethodVocbase(isolate, rt, TRI_V8_ASCII_STRING("description"), JS_DescriptionServerState);
   TRI_AddMethodVocbase(isolate, rt, TRI_V8_ASCII_STRING("dataPath"), JS_DataPathServerState);
   TRI_AddMethodVocbase(isolate, rt, TRI_V8_ASCII_STRING("logPath"), JS_LogPathServerState);
diff --git a/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster.js b/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster.js
index a0ea61a809..fe7d3baef2 100644
--- a/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster.js
+++ b/js/server/modules/org/arangodb/cluster.js
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+/*global ArangoServerState, ArangoClusterInfo */
 'use strict';
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -325,6 +326,23 @@ function dropLocalDatabases (plannedDatabases) {
         // must drop database
 
         console.info("dropping local database '%s'", name);
+
+        // Do we have to stop a replication applier first?
+        if (ArangoServerState.role() === "SECONDARY") {
+          try {
+            db._useDatabase(name);
+            var rep = require("org/arangodb/replication");
+            var state = rep.applier.state();
+            if (state.state.running === true) {
+              console.info("stopping replication applier first");
+              rep.applier.stop();
+            }
+            db._useDatabase("_system");
+          }
+          catch (err) {
+            db._useDatabase("_system");
+          }
+        }
         db._dropDatabase(name);
 
         writeLocked({ part: "Current" },
@@ -773,13 +791,59 @@ function handleCollectionChanges (plan) {
   cleanupCurrentCollections(plannedCollections);
 }
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief make sure that replication is set up for all databases
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+function setupReplication () {
+  console.debug("Setting up replication...");
+
+  var db = require("internal").db;
+  var rep = require("org/arangodb/replication");
+  var dbs = db._listDatabases();
+  var i;
+  try {
+    for (i = 0; i < dbs.length; i++) {
+      var database = dbs[i];
+      console.debug("Checking replication of database "+database);
+      db._useDatabase(database);
+
+      var state = rep.applier.state();
+      if (state.state.running === false) {
+        var endpoint = ArangoClusterInfo.getServerEndpoint(
+                              ArangoServerState.idOfPrimary());
+        var config = { "endpoint": endpoint, "includeSystem": false };
+        rep.applier.properties(config);
+        console.info("Starting synchronisation...");
+        var res = rep.sync(config);
+        console.info("Last log tick: "+res.lastLogTick+
+                    ", starting replication...");
+        var res2 = rep.applier.start(res.lastLogTick);
+        console.info("Result of replication start: "+res2);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  catch (err) {
+    db._useDatabase("_system");
+  }
+  db._useDatabase("_system");
+}
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief change handling trampoline function
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
 function handleChanges (plan, current) {
   handleDatabaseChanges(plan, current);
-  handleCollectionChanges(plan, current);
+  var role = ArangoServerState.role();
+  if (role === "PRIMARY" || role === "COORDINATOR") {
+    // Note: This is only ever called for DBservers (primary and secondary),
+    // we keep the coordinator case here just in case...
+    handleCollectionChanges(plan, current);
+  }
+  else {
+    setupReplication();
+  }
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////