How to Fix Error 1219: Multiple connections to a server or shared resource by the same user

When you try to connect to a network share you may encounter this Windows error 1219:

Multiple connections to a server or shared resource by the same user, using more than one user name, are not allowed. Disconnect all previous connections to the server or shared resource and try again.

Cause

The origins of this error are as follows. Each user session in Windows keeps track of the user’s network connections and there are several simultaneous user sessions in Windows. For example, the user administrator and local system and other sessions that appear in the Windows Task Manager. While Windows keeps track of separate network connection lists at the user session level, it also uses a global list.

The limitation in Windows is that you can’t connect to the same network server using two different sets of credentials (user name and password combinations).

Solution for Error 1219

The workaround is simple. Instead of using the network name of the target server, use its IP address. That way Windows will interpret the IP address as a separate entry in its network connection list and there won’t be an issue.

What can be done if you have more than two user names and shares on the same server that you want to connect to?

There is another slick solution to this challenge proposed by Jeffrey Liedke of our partner company Kapa GmbH

Edit the hosts file (C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc) as administrator and add one entry for each network share on the same server. For example, let’s say we have a server called FILESRV on 10.0.0.4, we would add to the host file:

10.0.0.4 server1

10.0.0.4 server2

10.0.0.4 server3

By doing this we create N aliases for 10.0.0.4. Now the ‘net use’ command or your network setting in BackupChain will be interpreted as a unique target server:

net use p: \\server1\myshare1 /user:myuser1 mypassword1

net use q: \\server2\myshare2 /user:myuser2 mypassword2

net use x: \\server3\myshare3 /user:myuser3 mypassword3

Hence we can access several network shares on the same target server (10.0.0.4) using three different user accounts, all at the same time. Keep in mind that this scenario only works with static IPs.

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