Middleware for the Mainframe.

This article features several developers of middleware for the mainframe in the U.S. The rule-processing engine behind Attachmate's myEXTRA tools allows developers to create Web-based presentations that restructure the user interfaces of legacy applications. The company also offers managed terminal emulation software, as well as a range of data, screen, and transaction adapters that include bi-directional exchange of events with the mainframe. The Attunity Connect data access software exposes legacy data as a virtual database, allowing Structured Query Language access even to non-relational data via industry-standard developer application program interfaces. MQSeries was the first middleware to run on mainframes. Dubbed as WebSphere MQ, this line of software includes a wide range of workflow tools as well as business process management and development software. In addition to a line of high-performance drivers for the major relational databases, DataDirect offers SequeLink for zOS, an end-to-end middleware interface for the larger version of IBM DB2. Often used in conjunction with BizTalk Server, Microsoft's Host Integration Server 2000 connects with IBM mainframes and other legacy systems.