what is rdp in networking

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a secure network communication protocol developed by Microsoft that allows users to execute remote operations on other computers. It is designed to facilitate a remote connection between the RDP client machine and the RDP server, and Microsoft Remote Desktop Services runs on top of this protocol. RDP is a secure, interoperable protocol that creates secure connections between clients, servers, and virtual machines. It enables network administrators to remotely diagnose problems and provides strong physical security through remote data storage. Some noteworthy features of RDP include smart card authentication, bandwidth reduction, the ability to use multiple displays, and the ability to disconnect. RDP is designed to support many different types of network topologies, such as ISDN, POTS, and LAN protocols such as IPX, NetBIOS, and TCP/IP. The current version of RDP will only run over TCP/IP.