diff -Naur mysql-5.1.53/sql/mysqld.cc mysql-5.1.53_max_used_ts/sql/mysqld.cc
--- mysql-5.1.53/sql/mysqld.cc	2010-11-03 14:39:53.000000000 +0100
+++ mysql-5.1.53_max_used_ts/sql/mysqld.cc	2011-01-26 11:21:58.000000000 +0100
@@ -418,6 +418,7 @@
 static uint kill_cached_threads, wake_thread;
 static ulong killed_threads, thread_created;
 static ulong max_used_connections;
+static ulong max_used_connections_ts;
 static ulong my_bind_addr;			/**< the address we bind to */
 static volatile ulong cached_thread_count= 0;
 static const char *sql_mode_str= "OFF";
@@ -5020,6 +5021,10 @@
   if (connection_count > max_used_connections)
     max_used_connections= connection_count;
 
+  if (connection_count >= max_used_connections)
+    max_used_connections_ts= (ulong)my_time(0);;
+
+
   pthread_mutex_unlock(&LOCK_connection_count);
 
   /* Start a new thread to handle connection. */
@@ -7655,6 +7660,7 @@
   {"Key_writes",               (char*) offsetof(KEY_CACHE, global_cache_write), SHOW_KEY_CACHE_LONGLONG},
   {"Last_query_cost",          (char*) offsetof(STATUS_VAR, last_query_cost), SHOW_DOUBLE_STATUS},
   {"Max_used_connections",     (char*) &max_used_connections,  SHOW_LONG},
+  {"Max_used_connections_ts",  (char*) &max_used_connections_ts,  SHOW_LONG},
   {"Not_flushed_delayed_rows", (char*) &delayed_rows_in_use,    SHOW_LONG_NOFLUSH},
   {"Open_files",               (char*) &my_file_opened,         SHOW_LONG_NOFLUSH},
   {"Open_streams",             (char*) &my_stream_opened,       SHOW_LONG_NOFLUSH},