If you need to increase MySQL Connections without MySQL restart do like below
mysql> show variables like 'max_connections';
+-----------------+-------+
| Variable_name | Value |
+-----------------+-------+
| max_connections | 100 |
+-----------------+-------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
mysql> SET GLOBAL max_connections = 150;
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)
mysql> show variables like 'max_connections';
+-----------------+-------+
| Variable_name | Value |
+-----------------+-------+
| max_connections | 150 |
+-----------------+-------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
These settings will change at MySQL Restart.
For permanent changes add below line in my.cnf and restart MySQL
max_connections = 150