Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a Microsoft protocol designed to facilitate application data transfer security and encryption between client users, devices and a virtual network server. It enables a remote user to add a graphical interface to the desktop of another computer. Based on the ITU-T.120 protocol set, RDP is compatible with multiple types of local area network (LAN) protocols and topologies.

RDP supports up to 64,000 separate data channels with a provision for multipoint transmission.

Key RDP functions include the initialization of connections, the transfer of data between clients and servers and negotiation capabilities.

RDP provides support for the following services:

• Mouse and user keyboard data encryption
• Audio, printer, port and file redirection
• Clipboard sharing between a remote server and a local client
• Remote desktop applications run on client machines using a remote desktop connection
• Remote Desktop Services (RDS), which provides RDP functionality via Windows 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1 (SP1)

Multiple features were added to RDP version 6.0, which was released in 2011. These include Aeroglass remoting, Windows Media Player (WMP) redirection, multiple monitor support, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications and remoting.

RDP is also implemented on non-Microsoft platforms. For example, "rdesktop" is a command line client used on Unix and Linux platforms.