Does aml_read hit a database for data? Does the database have a no_flood option or login_limit function that prevents an out of control process from making too many connections in a short period? Does aml_read leave db connections hanging after it exits?

I've seen this sort of a problem before. Sybase and many other DBs will freak if you hit them too fast with the same login/request. They protect themselves by dropping connections. That is why things like Apache::AUTH_DBI cache authentication lookups, a webserver can beat a DB to death just with authentication. That could explain why it works once but not in a loop.

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