'Too many connections from this IP' error message

This article discusses why you may receive a "Too many connections from this IP" error message when you use FTP, and how to resolve the problem.

Problem

When you try to connect to your A2 Hosting account using regular FTP, you receive the following error message:

421 Too many connections (8) from this IP

Cause

This error message occurs because FTP clients on managed hosting accounts are limited to a maximum of eight (8) simultaneous connections. If your FTP client exceeds this limit, you receive the error message described above.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, configure your FTP client to limit the number of simultaneous connections. The following procedure demonstrates how to do this for the FileZilla FTP client. If you use a different FTP client, please consult its documentation about how to limit the number of connections.

To configure the maximum number of simultaneous FTP connections in FileZilla, follow these steps:

1. Start FileZilla.
2. On the File menu, click Site Manager:

   

3. Click the site entry that you want to configure, and then click the Transfer Settings tab:
   

   

4. Select the Limit number of simultaneous connections check box.
5. In the Maximum number of connections box, select the maximum number of connections that you want to allow for the client. Make sure that this value is less than the server limit of 8 simultaneous connections.
6. Click OK.