Limit # of searches possible at once

[Overgrow]

Anyone with a large vB probably knows that excessive amounts of searches being run at once is a problem for database server speed. Often when my site hangs a bit, checking the open processes reveals 8 or 10 searches being run at the same time.

My thought is to write a search queueing routine that would only allow a certain # of searches to be run at once, sitewide. Not just limiting someone to 1 search every 10 seconds, but limiting all users to only having 3 or 5 searches open at once.

I've always wondered how vulnerable a large vB is to a DOS attack by people running numerous searches from numerous IPs. I know it probably wouldn't take many to put most sites to a halt.

So.... my question......... to other vB hackers.. think this is feasible?

-every time a new search is run via search.php it:

-inserts a listing into an "activesearchlog" saying that there is a new search being run
-cleans out all activesearchlogs that have been completed and put into the search table
-checks to make sure that there aren't too many searches being run already

If there are too many active searches it needs to somehow 'queue' up the user's search and give them a delay screen that would forward them in a few seconds to a new page that checks to see if the search is ready.

hmmmmmmmm