Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a Microsoft® protocol that allows remote desktop connections with encryption, load balancing, and bandwidth throttling. RDP is an application layer protocol that can be used over different types of networks. RDP encrypts data to prevent eavesdropping and offers features to increase performance. Client software is included with Windows® and a client is available for Mac®. Server software is included in most Microsoft® server operating systems. RDP is also used in some Microsoft® products.
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a protocol developed by Microsoft® to enable remote desktop connections where a user on one computer can see and control the screen on another. RDP powers Microsoft® Remote Desktop Services, a set of remote desktop applications. The protocol allows communication between a client and a server over almost any type of network and offers encryption, bandwidth throttling, and load balancing capabilities. Remote desktop software that uses RDP is available for several platforms and is used behind the scenes in some other Microsoft® products.
A protocol is a set of standard rules and behaviors that govern communication between different computers. In the case of Remote Desktop Protocol, these rules specify how an image on one computer’s screen is encoded and sent over a network connection to be viewed on another computer. RDP forms the basis for remote desktop software from Microsoft®, currently known as Remote Desktop Services. Once a client system, also known as a terminal, is connected to the host computer, it displays the host’s screen and allows users to access files, applications, and other resources on the host machine.
Protocols are commonly thought of in terms of layers, with lower layers serving as the foundation for higher ones. Remote Desktop Protocol is an application layer protocol, which means that it builds on several layers underneath it. This also means that RDP can be used over many different types of network connections because application layer protocols rely on the lower layer network and link protocols for network functionality.
To prevent eavesdropping, the remote desktop protocol encrypts data before sending it over the network. Different levels of encryption are available depending on the protocol version. Some versions of RDP included with Windows® 2000 and XP are vulnerable to an attack that can bypass this encryption; users with these operating systems may wish to update their software.
Remote Desktop Protocol also offers several features to increase performance over a slow or unreliable connection. New data is only sent when something on the screen changes, meaning that few packets of information are needed to interpret a change. Using fewer colors can speed up a connection, and RDP can also compress data. On the server side, load balancing features are supported to distribute resources evenly across servers that accept many simultaneous connections.
Client software that supports the remote desktop protocol is included with every version of Windows® from XP onwards; Microsoft® also offers an RDP client for Mac®. Server software is included in most server operating systems offered by Microsoft®, as well as some professional-level versions of Windows®. Although RDP is a proprietary protocol, several client applications, such as tsclient, are available for Linux and other Unix®-like operating systems. Some other Microsoft® products, such as the software that powers streaming media from a computer to an Xbox 360®, also use remote desktop protocol behind the scenes.
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