Well, firstly it allows you "to connect to your computer across the Internet from virtually any computer, Pocket PC, or Smartphone" (from the MS site).
in terms of practical use for admin, you need to connect to the server first via comms - any which way - can be as secured a connection as is possible via VPN, Certificates etc. Then you can use Remote Desktop - which can also include encryption - so it can be a very secure method for getting access to a server from a remote location.
Secondly, it allows you a method of "becoming" the console of that server, or logging onto the terminal of that server. So it is very convenient method of accessing a server without having to be physically "on" the server - meaning distributed sites, or computer rooms, or multiple servers can be managed without having to touch the server - it is not just for remote access.
Thirdly it does allow you to "be logged onto the server" from your own machine using local services as well as the remote services - such as printing and local disks.
For example, right now I am at the beach (seriously) it is overcast, it Australia Day (public Holiday here) at 10:30am, however, I am logged on doing EE stuff, and can also be looking after the Server for those jobs that are routinely scheduled to run on a Monday. In fact, I can also perform any maintenance jobs and tasks required while no one is in the office, and use the remote server as my comms portal in a relatively "bandwidth poor" location. If needed, I can open Query Analyser, or SSMS and run queries (handy to test some EE postings). All that is passing through my comms link is "screen painting" at a relatively low screen resolution to help with speed.
I can control who has access and set up a comfortably secure environment which does afford me (and the support team) a method of being able to provide additional services to ensure the smooth operating environment that the users expect and (lately) demand to help them get their jobs done. If needed, we can have a few people logged onto the server this way, and where appropriate can provide external / third party providers with a simple MS VPN connection so they can monitor / help.
But Remote Desktop is not alone - there are some other tools out there that can provide similar services / facilities. For me, having it all "MicroSoft" is attractive and is relatively easy to use, configure and maintain.
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by: dmbgoPosted on 2009-01-25 at 14:18:16ID: 23462929
The protocol used by remote desktop (RDP) is fast and is designed to work over low bandwidth connections. It offers performance advantages over remote control protocls such as VNC etc. RDP also allows mapping of services such as sound, printers, and Com ports from the remote PC. Color depth is customisable and has a direct impact on performance.
Cheers
Dave