def test_error_throttling(self):
        """
        This is more of a generic test checking that the _throttle_error method
        works as expected

        TODO: test that the graphite handler calls _throttle_error in the right
        circumstances.
        """
        config = configobj.ConfigObj()
        config['server_error_interval'] = '0.1'

        handler = mod.GraphiteHandler(config)

        debug_mock = Mock()
        patch_debug = patch.object(handler.log, 'debug', debug_mock)
        error_mock = Mock()
        patch_error = patch.object(handler.log, 'error', error_mock)

        patch_debug.start()
        patch_error.start()

        calls = 5
        for _ in range(calls):
            handler._throttle_error('Error Message')

        # .error should have been called only once
        self.assertEqual(error_mock.call_count, 1)
        self.assertEqual(debug_mock.call_count, calls - 1)

        handler._reset_errors()

        debug_mock.reset_mock()
        error_mock.reset_mock()

        for _ in range(calls):
            handler._throttle_error('Error Message')
            time.sleep(0.065)

        # error should have been called 0.065 * 5 / 0.1 = 3 times
        self.assertEqual(error_mock.call_count, 3)
        self.assertEqual(debug_mock.call_count, 2)
        patch_debug.stop()
        patch_error.stop()

        This is more of a generic test checking that the _throttle_error method
        works as expected

        TODO: test that the graphite handler calls _throttle_error in the right
        circumstances.
        
src/diamond/handler/test/testgraphitehandler.py