What is the characteristic of the protocol that is connectionless and does not guarantee data delivery?

User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is indeed a connectionless protocol that does not guarantee data delivery. This means that when data is sent using UDP, it is sent without establishing a connection between the sender and the receiver, and there is no error checking or acknowledgment of receipt. This can lead to data packets being lost or received out of order without the protocol taking any action to correct these issues.

The design of UDP is intentionally simple and lightweight, making it ideal for applications where speed is critical and occasional data loss is acceptable, such as streaming media, online gaming, or Voice over IP (VoIP). In these scenarios, the benefits of lower latency and reduced overhead outweigh the risks associated with the lack of delivery guarantees.

In contrast, the other protocols mentioned—Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)—are designed to manage connections and ensure data is reliably transmitted. TCP, for example, establishes a connection and employs error checking, while FTP and RDP operate over TCP to ensure that file transfers and remote sessions are reliable and consistent, making them unsuitable for situations where a connectionless format like UDP would be more effective.