JBoss fills out 'stack' with integration

JBoss is set to update its Java software suite with an integration server, an important component in its services-oriented architecture strategy.

JBoss ESB, which is software dedicated to moving data between different applications, will be available in December, the company is scheduled to announce at a user conference in Berlin on Monday.

It is also scheduled to give details of some of the features planned for JBoss Application Server 5.0, which will go into beta testing in December and be generally available next year.

JBoss, which is now part of Linux distributor Red Hat, is assembling a "stack" of open-source software components for building a services-oriented architecture, said Shaun Connolly, vice president of product management at the Atlanta-based company.

A services-oriented architecture, or SOA, is a way to design applications so that they are modular and standards-based. The approach enables software to be reused and so could bring down costs for a customer.

JBoss ESB is meant to work with other integration products and messaging protocols, such as IBM's WebSphere MQ. It can also do "transformation," or conversions between different XML formats.

The company expects JBoss ESB, one of several open-source integration servers available, to support the Java Business Integration 2.0 specification once it becomes a standard, Connolly said. It is also participating and tracking in Service Component Architecture (SCA), another SOA-related specification that JBoss intends to support once it has sufficient market adoption, he said.

JBoss expects to certify its Application Server 5.0 with the Java platform Enterprise Edition 5.0 standard next year. The application server also has a rewritten Web services software that improves integration with Web services written with other languages, including Microsoft's .Net, Connolly said.

[Savio.Rodrigues]

Why would you though?

Why would a partner want to build using any part of the JBoss stack knowing that changes to the JBoss EULA and the JBoss development organization will ultimately force all partners to license JBoss products. Gone are the days of using JBoss in your (ISV/SI) application for free. You can thank Red Hat for that ;-) But there are several alternatives that don't force ISV/SI partners into licensing royalties etc, such as Apache Geronimo (a completely freely distributable product under an ASF 2.0 license), or even WAS CE, which is free to use & redistribute without IBM support.

http://saviorodrigues.wordpress.com/2006/11/20/600-new-was-community-edition-partners-in-6-months/

[JadedGamer]

Also Mule

For the ESB needs, look at Mule.

http://www.mulesource.org/