Remote Desktop Services API

Most applications run without modification in a Remote Desktop Services (formerly known as Terminal Services) environment and do not need to use the Remote Desktop Services API. The Remote Desktop Services API is primarily useful to client/server applications and applications for Remote Desktop Services administration.

The Remote Desktop Services API is a set of function calls into Wtsapi32.dll. To design your application to run in both Remote Desktop Services and non-Remote Desktop Services environments, use run-time dynamic linking to check for the presence of Wtsapi32.dll. For more information, see Run-Time Linking to Wtsapi32.dll.

The Remote Desktop Services API enables applications to perform the following tasks in a Remote Desktop Services environment:

• Remote Desktop Services Administration, such as enumerating and managing Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host) servers (formerly known as terminal servers) in a domain or enumerating and managing sessions and processes on an RD Session Host server.
• Enhancing client/server applications in a Remote Desktop Services environment.
• Using Remote Desktop Services Virtual Channels to communicate between client and server modules of an application.
• Setting and retrieving Remote Desktop Services specific user configuration information.