Proper use of Configserver PT_LOAD function

[Ogdentechguy]

I want to set up the Configserver PT_LOAD function on my server to restart httpd when it gets over a certain value, but I'm not sure how to go about this. I have found that when the load goes up, a simple restart of httpd from within DirectAdmin will return it to normal levels.

Also, what's the optimal values to set the PT_LOAD_AVG, PT_LOAD_LEVEL, and PT_LOAD_SKIP values when using this feature? The server has 4 cores (2 dual-core Opteron CPUs). The values are currently set to PT_LOAD = 0 (Disabled), PT_LOAD_AVG = 5, PT_LOAD_LEVEL = 6, PT_LOAD_SKIP = 3600

Any other advice on using PT_LOAD is appreciated.

[Ogdentechguy]

On a side note, I checked the server this morning and it was reporting a high load again, when I went to restart httpd it listed a large number of processes; restarting the service reduced that back down to one. Is this normal, or should I take steps to prevent it? Can I prevent it somehow, or is using the PT_LOAD feature a good way to handle it?