Server Hangs

I'm running a server with WHM/cPanel. Recently the server has started dying for no obvious reason. I host a number of MT blogs which have been a problem in the past, being subject to comment and trackback spam attacks however these don't seem to be the culprit this time. I assume that the server is hanging because the load is getting too high to cope but whatever is causing it must be making it rocket within minutes.

During previous spam attacks it's been possible to see the load building up however I recently wrote a small script that just checks the load using the uptime command, records it in a log and send me an e-mail if it's greater than 5; the script runs every 5 minuts - 5 minutes is too long! The server goes from <1 to dead in less than 5 minutes Server Hangs

Mostly I host friends who, up to now, have been very understanding however they (and I) are starting to lose patience. I have no idea what's causing this and it's been happening for about 2 weeks now. I've tried looking in various logs to see if I can spot anything with no obvious culprits. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

 

 

 

 

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