HostFront, when introduced in 1997, was a groundbreaking Web-to-host solution. It pioneered the use of VBScript, COM, ActiveX and ASP to realize various, innovative host access, host publishing and host integration solutions. It was tightly integrated with Microsoft’s SNA Server [the precursor to today’s Host Integration Server (HIS)].  HostFront used optimized, internal Microsoft APIs, as opposed to data stream-based external interfaces for efficient bi-directional interactions with SNA Server.

It was the first Web-to-host product to capitalize on these APIs. I saw it in action shortly after it was released and as such it now has the distinction of being the Web-to-host product that I have known for the longest period of time. [While it is true that I started working with the OCS Web-to-host products in 1996 I stopped following OCS a long time ago!]

Since then, HostFront has continued to be in the forefront when it comes to close collaboration with Microsoft and the gainful exploitation of Microsoft technologies – with Farabi Technology been a certified Microsoft Partner since 1995.  Today, HostFront is one of the very few and select products that can interact directly with HIS using cross-memory APIs.  HostFront, in addition, leveraged Microsoft’s Visual Studio Industry Partner (VSIP) initiative to realize seamless interoperability with Visual Studio .NET.  Consequently, developers can use any .NET language with HostFront to easily and quickly create sophisticated SOA-based host integration solutions.

Version 4 Available in Two Forms

The 4th major release of HostFront was unveiled at the end of July 2005.  With Version 4 HostFront for the first time is available as two distinct products: HostFront Enterprise Server V4.0 and Host Access Server -- with the latter being a host access specific subset of the former.

Given its legacy, HostFront Enterprise Server V4.0 is a mature, highly-proven enterprise-class product explicitly designed to add functionality and value to MS Host Integration Server (HIS) 2004 in all and every customer scenario involving host applications, whether it be:

   ► Host access using ActiveX emulators, Windows CE ‘thin clients’ or HTML clients,

   ► ‘on-the-fly’ host-to-HTML host publishing, with rejuvenation, for portal applications etc., or

   ► SOA-based host integration with XML Web services.

HostFront’s value-add to HIS 2004 is also not limited to one particular phase or aspect of a host application access or reuse related project.  Instead, HostFront will play an active, productive role in each stage of HIS 2004 related projects, spanning:

    ► Development with Visual Studio .NET,

   ► Deployment with Windows Server, and

   ► Run time execution with HIS 2004 and the host applications.

Using a well validated, 3-tier architecture in all instances, HostFront offers exceptional, state-of-the-art capabilities when it comes to: end-to-end security, user authentication, load balancing, failover, host session pooling, automated Web services creation, debugging tools and software maintenance. for SOA-based legacy integration, host-to-HTML legacy publishing as well as host access.

Screen Logic Integration (SLI) to Augment HIS TI

HostFront is of particular value and importance, today, when it comes to .NET-oriented, SOA initiatives involving host applications since HIS 2004 Transaction Integration (TI) feature only supports, at best, 30% of mainframe and AS/400 applications; i.e. transaction-mode CICS or IMS mainframe applications and AS/400 COBOL applications.  In marked contrast, HostFront’s Screen Logic Integration (SLI) feature supports all mainframe and AS/400 (as well as iSeries) applications, in addition to Unix/Linux (and other minicomputer) applications.  HostFront’s SLI is implemented via the Hostfront Legacy Integrator Component (HFLI).  HFLI is seamlessly integrated into MS Visual Studio .NET via a native, Visual Studio Industry Partner (VSIP) interface.

HFLI offers an entirely visual, ‘drag-and-drop’/’point-and-click’ development process, per the Visual Studio .NET paradigm, without the need for any coding or the use of any host application APIs.  It enables the automated creation of Web services using either Visual Basic .NET or Visual C# .NET.

MS HIS 2004, though powerful and feature-rich, is incomplete without HostFront.  That is a fact.  HIS 2004 needs HostFront to extend its reach, value and potential – whether it is host access, host publishing or host integration.  HostFront is thus a synergistic adjunct that complements and augments HIS 2004 in all customer scenarios.