What is the NICE DCV Extension SDK? - NICE DCV
PrerequisitesAPI CategoriesVersioning convention

What is the NICE DCV Extension SDK?

NICE DCV is a high-performance remote display protocol. It lets you securely deliver remote desktops and application streaming from any cloud or data center to any device, over varying network conditions. By using NICE DCV with Amazon EC2, you can run graphics-intensive applications remotely on Amazon EC2 instances. You can then stream the results to more modest client machines, which eliminates the need for expensive dedicated workstations.

With the NICE DCV Extension SDK, developers can integrate NICE DCV protocol with their applications. The following are typical use cases:

  • Provide high-level device redirection for custom hardware devices in remote sessions.

  • Establish virtual channels between NICE DCV Server and NICE DCV Client to enhance remote application usability.

  • Describe the NICE DCV client and NICE DCV server runtime components and allow applications to interact with them.

A DCV extension may communicate with either a NICE DCV client or a NICE DCV server, depending on where it is installed. In addition, the NICE DCV Extension SDK could request a virtual channel via the NICE DCV protocol and then use this virtual channel to send arbitrary data.

The purpose of this guide is to explain how to integrate third-party applications into the NICE DCV Protocol using the NICE DCV Extension SDK (Software Development Kit) and its associated API (Application Programming Interface).

Prerequisites

Before you start working with the NICE DCV Extension SDK, ensure that you're familiar with NICE DCV and NICE DCV sessions. For more information, see the NICE DCV Administrator Guide.

The NICE DCV Extension SDK supports NICE DCV server and NICE DCV Extension SDK version 2023.0 and later.

NICE DCV Extensions are not supported with a Web Client

API Categories

There are three categories of NICE DCV Extension SDK APIs:

  • General API -Available on both client and server, this API provides messages describing the NICE DCV components and service information.

  • Virtual Channel API -Allows extensions to create virtual channels for transferring data between client and server. API is available on both client and server, and its behavior is symmetrical. Extensions running on either side can establish virtual channels.

  • Geometry API -Available only for client-side extensions, this API provides messages to obtain local views and the layout of the remote desktop.

Versioning convention

The NICE DCV Extension SDK version is defined in the following format: major.minor.patch. The versioning convention generally adheres to the semantic versioning model. A change in the major version, such as from 1.x.x to 2.x.x, indicates that breaking changes that might require code changes and a planned deployment have been introduced. A change in the minor version, such as from 1.1.x to 1.2.x, is backwards compatible, but might include deprecated elements.