If you are getting the following error when trying to dump a large mysql database:
mysqldump: Error 2013: Lost connection to MySQL server during query when dumping table XXX
Then try using the --opt flag and save to a .sql.gz file to reduce the IO and the buffering.
Example command would be something like:
mysqldump --opt --quick --max_allowed_packet=1G -h *host* -u *User* -p*Passwort* *database* | gzip > /path/to/sql.gz
That should fix the issue.
Additionally, you can try to the following in /etc/my.cnf:
1. Raise the max packet value to 100M or higher.
2. Comment out timeout value if it's enabled.
Don't forget to restart the MySQL server.