Q. What version of the Remote Desktop Connection client do I need to use the new features in Windows Server 2008?

A. Server 2008 introduced a number of new features to different versions of the Remote Desktop client. Remote Desktop client 6.0 provides these new features:

•    32-bit color support using a new compression algorithm, which uses less bandwidth than 24-bit color
•    font smoothing
•    monitor spanning with a maximum resolution of 4096 × 2048 in total. Monitors must be running the same resolution and be side by side, and you must use the command Mstsc /span at a command prompt.
•    resource redirection for plug-and-play devices
•    server authentication, which verifies connectivity to the correct server Terminal Services (TS) Gateway server support. The TS Gateway server opens RDP over HTTPS, avoiding the need to expose the firewall to the Internet. This support is configured in the Connect from anywhere option in the Advanced tab of the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box.
•    Terminal Services Remote Programs support, which lets you execute programs running on a terminal server without having to run a complete Windows session, a feature also known as seamless windows

Remote Desktop client 6.0 is available for Windows Server 2003 SP1, Windows XP SP2, and later OS versions.

Remote Desktop Connection client 6.1 includes all the 6.0 features and adds these:

•    Network Level Authentication, which lets user authentication finish before Remote Desktop displays a logon screen
•    RDP signing of files and connections
•    Terminal Services Easy Print for driverless printing (this requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 SP1)
•    Terminal Services Web Access support

Remote Desktop Connection client 6.1 is available for XP SP3, Windows Vista SP1, and Server 2008. For more information about Remote Desktop client 6.0 and 6.1, see the Microsoft articles “Remote Desktop Connection (Terminal Services Client 6.0)” and “Description of the Remote Desktop Connection 6.1 client update for Terminal Services.”