# Connection Protocols

![](/files/mAK2dTXqFVnN3BRmHrHj)

Keeper Connection Manager and Apache Guacamole support multiple protocols through a common, centralized gateway. The "guacd" service sits between the Guacamole web application and the remote desktops and dynamically translates between low-level remote desktop protocols and the Guacamole protocol, applying additional optimization and compression in the process.

### Installing support for a protocol <a href="#id-.supportedprotocolsv2.x-installingsupportforaprotocol" id="id-.supportedprotocolsv2.x-installingsupportforaprotocol"></a>

Within Keeper Connection Manager, support for each protocol is provided via separate packages. Only the packages for protocols that you will be using need be installed:

| Protocol                                                                                                            | Keeper Connection Manager package |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| [HTTP/HTTPS (Remote Browser Isolation)](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/remote-browser-isolation.md) | `kcm-libguac-client-http`         |
| [VNC](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/vnc.md)                                                        | `kcm-libguac-client-vnc`          |
| [RDP](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/rdp.md)                                                        | `kcm-libguac-client-rdp`          |
| [SSH](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/ssh.md)                                                        | `kcm-libguac-client-ssh`          |
| [Telnet](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/telnet.md)                                                  | `kcm-libguac-client-telnet`       |
| [Kubernetes](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/kubernetes.md)                                          | `kcm-libguac-client-kubernetes`   |
| [MySQL](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/mysql.md)                                                    | `kcm-libguac-client-mysql`        |
| [PostgreSQL](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/postgresql.md)                                          | `kcm-libguac-client-postgres`     |
| [Microsoft SQL Server](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/microsoft-sql-server.md)                      | `kcm-libguac-client-sql-server`   |

When using any particular connection, **the package providing support for that connection's underlying protocol must already be installed on the server running the guacd service**. If support for the underlying protocol has not been installed, users attempting to use the connection will see an error message, and system administrators will see a message like the following within the systemd journal:

```
guacd[8]: WARNING: Support for protocol "rdp" is not installed
```

If a needed package was not installed and a message like that above is logged, installing the needed package will solve the problem. If using [the keeper/guacd Docker image](/keeper-connection-manager/installation/docker-compose-install/keeper-guacd.md), all protocol support is already installed. If using the `@kcm-guacamole` package group, as described within [the installation instructions](/keeper-connection-manager/installation.md), protocol support for HTTPS, VNC, RDP, and SSH is installed.

### Configuring the protocol of a connection <a href="#id-.supportedprotocolsv2.x-configuringtheprotocolofaconnection" id="id-.supportedprotocolsv2.x-configuringtheprotocolofaconnection"></a>

When using one of the supported databases, administrators can define new connections using Guacamole's web interface, selecting the protocol to be used for that connection from a dropdown menu labeled "Protocol":

<figure><img src="/files/SMysR7GzaclcCNJvNrDz" alt=""><figcaption><p>Protocol Selection</p></figcaption></figure>

If defining a connection through a mechanism which does not leverage one of the supported databases, such as via `/etc/guacamole/user-mapping.xml`,[ LDAP schema modifications](/keeper-connection-manager/authentication/authenticating-users-with-ldap/storing-connection-data-within-ldap.md), or[ encrypted JSON](/keeper-connection-manager/using-keeper-connection-manager/dynamic-connections.md), the protocol will must be specified using the unique, internal name for that protocol:

| Protocol                                                                                       | Internal name |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- |
| [HTTP/HTTPS](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/remote-browser-isolation.md)       | `http`        |
| [VNC](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/vnc.md)                                   | `vnc`         |
| [RDP](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/rdp.md)                                   | `rdp`         |
| [SSH](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/ssh.md)                                   | `ssh`         |
| [Telnet](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/telnet.md)                             | `telnet`      |
| [Kubernetes](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/kubernetes.md)                     | `kubernetes`  |
| [MySQL](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/mysql.md)                               | `mysql`       |
| [PostgreSQL](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/postgresql.md)                     | `postgresql`  |
| [Microsoft SQL Server](/keeper-connection-manager/supported-protocols/microsoft-sql-server.md) | `sql-server`  |


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