random "can't connect to mySQL" errors

We're on a dual server set up, two P4 boxes running RHEL3 with a cross-connect running between them. The mySQL database server is on one box, Apache/PHP on the other. The cross-connect is used to transfer data between them.

We've been receiving the following error message randomly, perhaps half a dozen times a day at no particular time.

mysql_connect(): Can't connect to MySQL server on '10.0.0.5' (4)

10.0.0.5 is the internal IP address of our mySQL box.

When this happens, both servers appear to be running fine, there is enough memory free, the load is low and both servers are able to ping one another through the cross-connection. The error usually proceeds a period of about 30 seconds in which none of our database applications are able to communicate with the database server.

What could be causing this ?

 

 

 

 

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