some sort of rate limiting for connections that are pulling more than ?kb per sec from the database servers

[cbDrift]

This should allow more response under high loads if there is a scraper bot running or something
-may need to tweak the "download x pages at once" setting to stay under the rate limit?
-may need some sort of script on the db servers to watch the numbers of queries coming from a single ip address (dont bother with logins - too easy to get multiple logins)
-would also allow the admins to flag scraper accounts easily
-would need some sort of system where if you get flagged and rate limited or banned - you can protest if its incorrect - but that would than be "person" vs "database logs of activity" so not really an arguable case

just mah 2c worth (well maybe .5c cause it could well be a p.i.t.a. to implement depending on what servers and back end code is there already

could end up saving a %*$#ton of bandwidth if the site is being seriously scraped and thats what is contributing the very large "dead time" responses that happen in peak hours ?

 

[cbDrift]

Good points there.
I was thinking more of a bot recursive scraper that was trying to pull the entire database than someone trying to download their favourite series for offline reading. I’m hoping that there wouldn’t be many of them but who knows.
If the cure is worse than the problem tho it’s not worth doing.

Probably doesn’t overly help that I’m down in New Zealand

 

[Plykiya]

@cbDrift We already have rate limiting on the servers. Though, MD@H is solving our bandwidth problems now.