[Exim] Problem with mysql.

I have a couple of exim mailservers set up to talk to a mysql server for
adress information. All the mailservers use "queue_only" and a large
amount of runqs (started from a script).

2001-04-12 00:35:23 14nTCM-0006dq-00 virtual_local_user director:
failed to expand "${lookup mysql {select 'domain.com' from auth where
username = '${quote_mysql:$local_part}'}{$value}}" lookup of "select
'domain.com' from auth where username = 'slubbert'" gave DEFER: MYSQL
connection failed: Lost connection to MySQL server during query

What kind of error is this (apart from the obvious)? Is this the same
error you get from the C API when something "drops" the connection?
("Mysql server has gone away" is the one I am more used too). Or is this
something else?

I can't seem to find anything wrong with the mysql-setup , and it does not
increase the connect_error value.

I am about to go through the hardware, but somehow I doubt there is
anything wrong with that.

My questions:

1) When exim is given this defer (this is when processing the queue, it
has already been queued), does it then end up trying again? How many
times?

2) Anybody have any ideas how to get rid of the error? I am getting it so
often at times that one of the servers cloggs up. (I have checked the
mysql databases, no errors).

Exim-version: 3.16
Mysql-version: 3.22-30

--
Thorkild