Mainframe integration technology from Microsoft will be updated in the second half of 2006. Specifically, the company will deliver Host Integration Server (HIS) 2006 (code-named Dawson), the next version of its product that provides UI, business logic, and data integration with IBM mainframe and midrange host applications, and network and security infrastructure for connecting to hosts.

According to current plans, HIS 2006 will include enhanced Visual Studio 2005 design tools for IBM CICS applications and DB2, IMS, and VSAM data sources, enabling developers to integrate more types of host data and applications into .NET applications and expose host data and applications to other systems as Web services. Also, a new BizTalk Server Adapter for Host Applications will support integration between BizTalk Server 2006, the latest version of Microsoft's application integration hub, with IBM zSeries CICS and IMS, as well as iSeries RPG applications. Dawson will also deliver a BizTalk Server Adapter for IBM DB2.

HIS 2006 will also run on the x64 64-bit processor architecture, which could prove useful for high-volume data integration. The product will be updated to support SQL Server 2005, the Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 monitoring product, and the Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003 product for replicating user passwords and other identity data.

An overview of Host Integration Server 2004 appeared in "Host Integration Server 2004 Available" on page 14 of the Nov. 2004 Update.

Choosing among Microsoft's current and upcoming mainframe integration technologies is the topic of a presentation at download.microsoft.com/download/f/7/e/f7e492b2-7a56-4c71-a33b-0936040f4c68/ARC206.ppt.