diff --git a/src/include/miscadmin.h b/src/include/miscadmin.h
index edced29..8e13cde 100644
--- a/src/include/miscadmin.h
+++ b/src/include/miscadmin.h
@@ -398,6 +398,9 @@ extern void pg_split_opts(char **argv, int *argcp, char *optstr);
 extern void InitializeMaxBackends(void);
 extern void InitPostgres(const char *in_dbname, Oid dboid, const char *username,
 			 char *out_dbname);
+extern void InitPostgresPhase1(void);
+extern void InitPostgresPhase2(const char *in_dbname, Oid dboid,
+             const char *username, char *out_dbname);
 extern void BaseInit(void);
 
 /* in utils/init/miscinit.c */
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/init/postinit.c b/src/backend/utils/init/postinit.c
index 2c7f0f1..92ff971 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/init/postinit.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/init/postinit.c
@@ -493,139 +493,166 @@ void
 InitPostgres(const char *in_dbname, Oid dboid, const char *username,
 			 char *out_dbname)
 {
+	/* Gain access to shared catalogs. */
+	InitPostgresPhase1();
+
+	/* The autovacuum launcher is done here */
+	if (IsAutoVacuumLauncherProcess())
+		return;
+
+	/* Perform client authentication, set MyDatabaseId, etc. */
+	InitPostgresPhase2(in_dbname, dboid, username, out_dbname);
+}
+
+
+/*
+ * InitPostgresPhase1
+ *
+ * Perform enough initialization to get us to a stage where access to the
+ * shared catalogs (at least, those that the relcache's formrdesc() helper
+ * knows how to bootstrap) can be done through the syscache.
+ */
+void InitPostgresPhase1()
+{
 	bool		bootstrap = IsBootstrapProcessingMode();
-	bool		am_superuser;
-	char	   *fullpath;
-	char		dbname[NAMEDATALEN];
 
-	elog(DEBUG3, "InitPostgres");
+	elog(DEBUG3, "InitPostgresPhase1");
 
 	/*
 	 * Add my PGPROC struct to the ProcArray.
 	 *
 	 * Once I have done this, I am visible to other backends!
 	 */
 	InitProcessPhase2();
 
 	/*
 	 * Initialize my entry in the shared-invalidation manager's array of
 	 * per-backend data.
 	 *
 	 * Sets up MyBackendId, a unique backend identifier.
 	 */
 	MyBackendId = InvalidBackendId;
 
 	SharedInvalBackendInit(false);
 
 	if (MyBackendId > MaxBackends || MyBackendId <= 0)
 		elog(FATAL, "bad backend ID: %d", MyBackendId);
 
 	/* Now that we have a BackendId, we can participate in ProcSignal */
 	ProcSignalInit(MyBackendId);
 
 	/*
 	 * Also set up timeout handlers needed for backend operation.  We need
 	 * these in every case except bootstrap.
 	 */
 	if (!bootstrap)
 	{
 		RegisterTimeout(DEADLOCK_TIMEOUT, CheckDeadLock);
 		RegisterTimeout(STATEMENT_TIMEOUT, StatementTimeoutHandler);
 		RegisterTimeout(LOCK_TIMEOUT, LockTimeoutHandler);
 	}
 
 	/*
 	 * bufmgr needs another initialization call too
 	 */
 	InitBufferPoolBackend();
 
 	/*
 	 * Initialize local process's access to XLOG.
 	 */
 	if (IsUnderPostmaster)
 	{
 		/*
 		 * The postmaster already started the XLOG machinery, but we need to
 		 * call InitXLOGAccess(), if the system isn't in hot-standby mode.
 		 * This is handled by calling RecoveryInProgress and ignoring the
 		 * result.
 		 */
 		(void) RecoveryInProgress();
 	}
 	else
 	{
 		/*
 		 * We are either a bootstrap process or a standalone backend. Either
 		 * way, start up the XLOG machinery, and register to have it closed
 		 * down at exit.
 		 */
 		StartupXLOG();
 		on_shmem_exit(ShutdownXLOG, 0);
 	}
 
 	/*
 	 * Initialize the relation cache and the system catalog caches.  Note that
 	 * no catalog access happens here; we only set up the hashtable structure.
 	 * We must do this before starting a transaction because transaction abort
 	 * would try to touch these hashtables.
 	 */
 	RelationCacheInitialize();
 	InitCatalogCache();
 	InitPlanCache();
 
 	/* Initialize portal manager */
 	EnablePortalManager();
 
 	/* Initialize stats collection --- must happen before first xact */
 	if (!bootstrap)
 		pgstat_initialize();
 
 	/*
 	 * Load relcache entries for the shared system catalogs.  This must create
 	 * at least entries for pg_database and catalogs used for authentication.
 	 */
 	RelationCacheInitializePhase2();
 
 	/*
 	 * Set up process-exit callback to do pre-shutdown cleanup.  This has to
 	 * be after we've initialized all the low-level modules like the buffer
 	 * manager, because during shutdown this has to run before the low-level
 	 * modules start to close down.  On the other hand, we want it in place
 	 * before we begin our first transaction --- if we fail during the
 	 * initialization transaction, as is entirely possible, we need the
 	 * AbortTransaction call to clean up.
 	 */
 	on_shmem_exit(ShutdownPostgres, 0);
+}
 
-	/* The autovacuum launcher is done here */
-	if (IsAutoVacuumLauncherProcess())
-		return;
+
+void
+InitPostgresPhase2(const char *in_dbname, Oid dboid, const char *username,
+			       char *out_dbname)
+{
+	bool		bootstrap = IsBootstrapProcessingMode();
+	bool		am_superuser;
+	char	   *fullpath;
+	char		dbname[NAMEDATALEN];
+
+	elog(DEBUG3, "InitPostgresPhase2");
 
 	/*
 	 * Start a new transaction here before first access to db, and get a
 	 * snapshot.  We don't have a use for the snapshot itself, but we're
 	 * interested in the secondary effect that it sets RecentGlobalXmin. (This
 	 * is critical for anything that reads heap pages, because HOT may decide
 	 * to prune them even if the process doesn't attempt to modify any
 	 * tuples.)
 	 */
 	if (!bootstrap)
 	{
 		/* statement_timestamp must be set for timeouts to work correctly */
 		SetCurrentStatementStartTimestamp();
 		StartTransactionCommand();
 
 		/*
 		 * transaction_isolation will have been set to the default by the
 		 * above.  If the default is "serializable", and we are in hot
 		 * standby, we will fail if we don't change it to something lower.
 		 * Fortunately, "read committed" is plenty good enough.
 		 */
 		XactIsoLevel = XACT_READ_COMMITTED;
 
 		(void) GetTransactionSnapshot();
 	}
 
 	/*
 	 * Perform client authentication if necessary, then figure out our
 	 * postgres user ID, and see if we are a superuser.
diff --git a/src/include/postmaster/bgworker.h b/src/include/postmaster/bgworker.h
index 0bb897b..802230b 100644
--- a/src/include/postmaster/bgworker.h
+++ b/src/include/postmaster/bgworker.h
@@ -92,15 +92,20 @@ extern bool RegisterDynamicBackgroundWorker(BackgroundWorker *worker);
 extern BackgroundWorker *MyBgworkerEntry;
 
 /*
- * Connect to the specified database, as the specified user.  Only a worker
- * that passed BGWORKER_BACKEND_DATABASE_CONNECTION during registration may
- * call this.
- *
- * If username is NULL, bootstrapping superuser is used.
- * If dbname is NULL, connection is made to no specific database;
- * only shared catalogs can be accessed.
+ * Initialize and open the specified database, as the specified user.  Only a
+ * worker that passed BGWORKER_BACKEND_DATABASE_CONNECTION during registration
+ * may call these functions.
+ *
+ * Once InitializeConnection() has been called, shared catalogs may be
+ * accessed.  [XXX:  but only through the syscache interfaces?]
+ *
+ * After calling OpenDatabase(), the SPI functions may be used to access all
+ * relations.  Once a database has been opened, it is not possible to
+ * disconnect and change to another database.  If username is NULL, the
+ * bootstrapping superuser is used.
  */
-extern void BackgroundWorkerInitializeConnection(char *dbname, char *username);
+extern void BackgroundWorkerInitializeConnection();
+extern void BackgroundWorkerOpenDatabase(char *dbname, char *username);
 
 /* Block/unblock signals in a background worker process */
 extern void BackgroundWorkerBlockSignals(void);
diff --git a/src/backend/postmaster/postmaster.c b/src/backend/postmaster/postmaster.c
index afdb53f..05b463f 100644
--- a/src/backend/postmaster/postmaster.c
+++ b/src/backend/postmaster/postmaster.c
@@ -5222,32 +5222,50 @@ int
 MaxLivePostmasterChildren(void)
 {
 	return 2 * (MaxConnections + autovacuum_max_workers + 1 +
 				max_worker_processes);
 }
 
 /*
- * Connect background worker to a database.
+ * Connect background worker to the shared catalogs.
  */
 void
-BackgroundWorkerInitializeConnection(char *dbname, char *username)
+BackgroundWorkerInitializeConnection()
 {
 	BackgroundWorker *worker = MyBgworkerEntry;
 
 	/* XXX is this the right errcode? */
 	if (!(worker->bgw_flags & BGWORKER_BACKEND_DATABASE_CONNECTION))
 		ereport(FATAL,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_PROGRAM_LIMIT_EXCEEDED),
 				 errmsg("database connection requirement not indicated during registration")));
 
-	InitPostgres(dbname, InvalidOid, username, NULL);
+	InitPostgresPhase1();
+}
+
+/*
+ * Connect background worker to a database, and enter normal processing
+ * mode.
+ */
+void
+BackgroundWorkerOpenDatabase(char *dbname, char *username)
+{
+	BackgroundWorker *worker = MyBgworkerEntry;
+
+	/* XXX is this the right errcode? */
+	if (!(worker->bgw_flags & BGWORKER_BACKEND_DATABASE_CONNECTION))
+		ereport(FATAL,
+				(errcode(ERRCODE_PROGRAM_LIMIT_EXCEEDED),
+				 errmsg("database connection requirement not indicated during registration")));
+
+	InitPostgresPhase2(dbname, InvalidOid, username, NULL);
 
 	/* it had better not gotten out of "init" mode yet */
 	if (!IsInitProcessingMode())
 		ereport(ERROR,
 				(errmsg("invalid processing mode in background worker")));
 	SetProcessingMode(NormalProcessing);
 }
 
 /*
  * Block/unblock signals in a background worker
  */