Limit to #connections to domain/website per IP?

Browser times out - "Server taking too long to respond"

[penders]

I was trying to (moderately) stress test a website/app by simply getting the page to redirect to a random page after a few seconds (using JavaScript, written by PHP).

However, with just 4 browsers open (IE, FF, Safari and Op) all doing the same, it falls over after a few pages with the standard:

The connection has timed out
The server at example.com is taking too long to respond.

This then effects everyone on the network (all on the same IP). Including trying to access the server control panel (same domain). OK again after a short while. During this time the site 'appears to be accessible' remotely (effectively via a proxy).

I've tried this from 2 different locations, on 2 different days - same. (I thought that may be the server was having a go-slow at first?!)

The same seems to happen if I use just 1 browser (FF), but try to 'hammer' the connection - accessing (redirecting to) as many pages as possible?! (But the browser should limit the number of concurrent connections...?)

Is this normal? Is the server limiting the number of concurrent connections from the same client IP (same network - potentially just 5 users). This is a tad awkward as we are all trying to access the same site! (I can appreciate safe guarding against DoS attacks, but this seems a bit restrictive in this case.)

Or could it be something else? (I'm no Apache expert)

Thanks, any comments appreciated.

<edit>
The server error log does not appear to have any errors relating to maxclients?

[jdMorgan]

Basically, review all of the settings (See Apache Core directives documentation) having to do with Max<anything>, your keep-alive time, etc. There are tutorials on the Web about "tuning Apache" and they would probably be your best bet to get this resolved. Four or five clients doing redirects should certainly not bog down your server... hundreds, maybe, but not that small number.

Jim

[penders]

Thanks for your response. Basically I'm still trying to get to the bottom this (I've not been able to review all the settings yet), but as you say I would have thought the server should be able to cope with ease (a semi-dedicated server with a very well regarded host, but overseas).

Interestingly I have tried the same site/same test on a regular shared host (but in the UK). 8 browsers requesting random pages every 0.5 secs (one of the tougher tests). Worked perfectly (server load did go up a tad, but the pages are relatively heavy)! So my confidence in the site itself being OK is reasonably good.

Tried the same on the main server and again it failed (error above), after about 70 page requests (that's approx 70 x 8 page requests in total). I don't expect there to be anyone else on, on a Sunday afternoon during a Bank Holiday weekend! Eessh, nor should I!