MySQL server has gone away (PHP)

Problem: Server returns the error "Mysql server has gone away" when running a large set of queries (specially as a Cronjob).

Solution: Simply copy/paste the following lines in beginning of your php file.

ini_set('mysql.connect_timeout', 300);
ini_set('default_socket_timeout', 300);

Reason: The mysql.connect_timeout option is the reason for this.