diff --git a/src/backend/access/transam/xlog.c b/src/backend/access/transam/xlog.c
index a2846c4..fe4ef8d 100644
--- a/src/backend/access/transam/xlog.c
+++ b/src/backend/access/transam/xlog.c
@@ -507,6 +507,13 @@ typedef struct XLogCtlInsert
 	XLogRecPtr	lastBackupStart;
 
 	/*
+	 * WAL insertion progress positions. Each entry is protected by a single
+	 * WAL insert lock, and should be updated only while holding its
+	 * respective lock.
+	 */
+	XLogRecPtr	progressLSN[NUM_XLOGINSERT_LOCKS];
+
+	/*
 	 * WAL insertion locks.
 	 */
 	WALInsertLockPadded *WALInsertLocks;
@@ -527,6 +534,8 @@ typedef struct XLogCtlData
 	TransactionId ckptXid;
 	XLogRecPtr	asyncXactLSN;	/* LSN of newest async commit/abort */
 	XLogRecPtr	replicationSlotMinLSN;	/* oldest LSN needed by any slot */
+	XLogRecPtr	lastProgressLSN;	/* LSN tracking progress of checkpoint
+									 * and standby snapshots */
 
 	XLogSegNo	lastRemovedSegNo;		/* latest removed/recycled XLOG
 										 * segment */
@@ -897,6 +906,7 @@ XLogInsertRecord(XLogRecData *rdata, XLogRecPtr fpw_lsn)
 	XLogRecord *rechdr = (XLogRecord *) rdata->data;
 	bool		isLogSwitch = (rechdr->xl_rmid == RM_XLOG_ID &&
 							   rechdr->xl_info == XLOG_SWITCH);
+	bool		isStandbySnapshot = (rechdr->xl_rmid == RM_STANDBY_ID);
 	XLogRecPtr	StartPos;
 	XLogRecPtr	EndPos;
 
@@ -988,6 +998,27 @@ XLogInsertRecord(XLogRecData *rdata, XLogRecPtr fpw_lsn)
 		inserted = true;
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * Update the progress LSN positions, WAL insertion locks are already
+	 * taken appropriately before doing that.
+	 */
+	if (!isStandbySnapshot)
+	{
+		if (holdingAllLocks)
+		{
+			int i;
+
+			for (i = 0; i < NUM_XLOGINSERT_LOCKS; i++)
+				if (Insert->progressLSN[i] < EndPos)
+					Insert->progressLSN[i] = EndPos;
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			if (Insert->progressLSN[MyLockNo] < EndPos)
+				Insert->progressLSN[MyLockNo] = EndPos;
+		}
+	}
+
 	if (inserted)
 	{
 		/*
@@ -4684,6 +4715,7 @@ XLOGShmemInit(void)
 	{
 		LWLockInitialize(&WALInsertLocks[i].l.lock, LWTRANCHE_WAL_INSERT);
 		WALInsertLocks[i].l.insertingAt = InvalidXLogRecPtr;
+		XLogCtl->Insert.progressLSN[i] = InvalidXLogRecPtr;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -6314,6 +6346,7 @@ StartupXLOG(void)
 					 checkPoint.newestCommitTsXid);
 	XLogCtl->ckptXidEpoch = checkPoint.nextXidEpoch;
 	XLogCtl->ckptXid = checkPoint.nextXid;
+	XLogCtl->lastProgressLSN = checkPoint.redo;
 
 	/*
 	 * Initialize replication slots, before there's a chance to remove
@@ -7869,6 +7902,49 @@ GetFlushRecPtr(void)
 }
 
 /*
+ * XLOGHasActivity -- Determine if any WAL activity has occurred since
+ * the last time this routine has been used by looking at the progress
+ * of WAL. This routine should be used to decide if checkpoints should
+ * happen or if standby activity should be logged or not.
+ */
+bool
+XLOGHasActivity(bool islock)
+{
+	XLogRecPtr	progress_lsn = InvalidXLogRecPtr;
+	int			i;
+	XLogCtlInsert *Insert = &XLogCtl->Insert;
+	bool		res = false;
+
+	/*
+	 * Look at the latest LSN position referring to the activity done by
+	 * WAL insertion. First fetch all the LSN position that are tracked
+	 * by each WAL insertion slot and compare it to the last progress
+	 * position found to decide if any activity has run on the server or
+	 * not.
+	 */
+	if (islock)
+		WALInsertLockAcquireExclusive();
+	for (i = 0; i < NUM_XLOGINSERT_LOCKS; i++)
+	{
+		if (progress_lsn < Insert->progressLSN[i])
+			progress_lsn = Insert->progressLSN[i];
+	}
+	if (islock)
+		WALInsertLockRelease();
+
+	/* Update the progress_lsn if some activity has occured */
+	SpinLockAcquire(&XLogCtl->info_lck);
+	if (XLogCtl->lastProgressLSN < progress_lsn)
+	{
+		XLogCtl->lastProgressLSN = progress_lsn;
+		res = true;
+	}
+	SpinLockRelease(&XLogCtl->info_lck);
+
+	return res;
+}
+
+/*
  * Get the time of the last xlog segment switch
  */
 pg_time_t
@@ -8132,7 +8208,6 @@ CreateCheckPoint(int flags)
 	uint32		freespace;
 	XLogRecPtr	PriorRedoPtr;
 	XLogRecPtr	curInsert;
-	XLogRecPtr	prevPtr;
 	VirtualTransactionId *vxids;
 	int			nvxids;
 
@@ -8218,17 +8293,15 @@ CreateCheckPoint(int flags)
 	 */
 	WALInsertLockAcquireExclusive();
 	curInsert = XLogBytePosToRecPtr(Insert->CurrBytePos);
-	prevPtr = XLogBytePosToRecPtr(Insert->PrevBytePos);
 
 	/*
-	 * If this isn't a shutdown or forced checkpoint, and we have not inserted
-	 * any XLOG records since the start of the last checkpoint, skip the
-	 * checkpoint.  The idea here is to avoid inserting duplicate checkpoints
-	 * when the system is idle. That wastes log space, and more importantly it
-	 * exposes us to possible loss of both current and previous checkpoint
-	 * records if the machine crashes just as we're writing the update.
-	 * (Perhaps it'd make even more sense to checkpoint only when the previous
-	 * checkpoint record is in a different xlog page?)
+	 * If this isn't a shutdown or forced checkpoint, and if there has been no
+	 * WAL activity, skip the checkpoint.  The idea here is to avoid inserting
+	 * duplicate checkpoints when the system is idle. That wastes log space,
+	 * and more importantly it exposes us to possible loss of both current and
+	 * previous checkpoint records if the machine crashes just as we're writing
+	 * the update.  (Perhaps it'd make even more sense to checkpoint only when
+	 * the previous checkpoint record is in a different xlog page?)
 	 *
 	 * If the previous checkpoint crossed a WAL segment, however, we create
 	 * the checkpoint anyway, to have the latest checkpoint fully contained in
@@ -8239,9 +8312,12 @@ CreateCheckPoint(int flags)
 	if ((flags & (CHECKPOINT_IS_SHUTDOWN | CHECKPOINT_END_OF_RECOVERY |
 				  CHECKPOINT_FORCE)) == 0)
 	{
-		if (prevPtr == ControlFile->checkPointCopy.redo &&
-			prevPtr / XLOG_SEG_SIZE == curInsert / XLOG_SEG_SIZE)
+		elog(LOG, "Not a forced or shutdown checkpoint");
+		if (!XLOGHasActivity(false) &&
+			ControlFile->checkPointCopy.redo / XLOG_SEG_SIZE ==
+			curInsert / XLOG_SEG_SIZE)
 		{
+			elog(LOG, "Checkpoint is skipped");
 			WALInsertLockRelease();
 			LWLockRelease(CheckpointLock);
 			END_CRIT_SECTION();
@@ -8408,7 +8484,11 @@ CreateCheckPoint(int flags)
 	 * recovery we don't need to write running xact data.
 	 */
 	if (!shutdown && XLogStandbyInfoActive())
-		LogStandbySnapshot();
+	{
+		XLogRecPtr lsn = LogStandbySnapshot();
+		elog(LOG, "snapshot taken by checkpoint %X/%X",
+			 (uint32) (lsn >> 32), (uint32) lsn);
+	}
 
 	START_CRIT_SECTION();
 
diff --git a/src/backend/postmaster/bgwriter.c b/src/backend/postmaster/bgwriter.c
index 4ff4caf..0388fc7 100644
--- a/src/backend/postmaster/bgwriter.c
+++ b/src/backend/postmaster/bgwriter.c
@@ -78,12 +78,10 @@ int			BgWriterDelay = 200;
 #define LOG_SNAPSHOT_INTERVAL_MS 15000
 
 /*
- * LSN and timestamp at which we last issued a LogStandbySnapshot(), to avoid
- * doing so too often or repeatedly if there has been no other write activity
- * in the system.
+ * Timestamp at which we last issued a LogStandbySnapshot(), to avoid doing
+ * so too often.
  */
 static TimestampTz last_snapshot_ts;
-static XLogRecPtr last_snapshot_lsn = InvalidXLogRecPtr;
 
 /*
  * Flags set by interrupt handlers for later service in the main loop.
@@ -301,7 +299,7 @@ BackgroundWriterMain(void)
 		 * check whether there has been any WAL inserted since the last time
 		 * we've logged a running xacts.
 		 *
-		 * We do this logging in the bgwriter as its the only process that is
+		 * We do this logging in the bgwriter as it is the only process that is
 		 * run regularly and returns to its mainloop all the time. E.g.
 		 * Checkpointer, when active, is barely ever in its mainloop and thus
 		 * makes it hard to log regularly.
@@ -315,13 +313,13 @@ BackgroundWriterMain(void)
 												  LOG_SNAPSHOT_INTERVAL_MS);
 
 			/*
-			 * only log if enough time has passed and some xlog record has
-			 * been inserted.
+			 * only log if enough time has passed.
 			 */
-			if (now >= timeout &&
-				last_snapshot_lsn != GetXLogInsertRecPtr())
+			if (now >= timeout && XLOGHasActivity(true))
 			{
-				last_snapshot_lsn = LogStandbySnapshot();
+				XLogRecPtr lsn = LogStandbySnapshot();
+				elog(LOG, "snapshot taken by bgwriter %X/%X",
+					 (uint32) (lsn >> 32), (uint32) lsn);
 				last_snapshot_ts = now;
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/src/include/access/xlog.h b/src/include/access/xlog.h
index ecd30ce..43fe026 100644
--- a/src/include/access/xlog.h
+++ b/src/include/access/xlog.h
@@ -261,6 +261,7 @@ extern void GetFullPageWriteInfo(XLogRecPtr *RedoRecPtr_p, bool *doPageWrites_p)
 extern XLogRecPtr GetRedoRecPtr(void);
 extern XLogRecPtr GetInsertRecPtr(void);
 extern XLogRecPtr GetFlushRecPtr(void);
+extern bool XLOGHasActivity(bool islock);
 extern void GetNextXidAndEpoch(TransactionId *xid, uint32 *epoch);
 extern void RemovePromoteSignalFiles(void);