News

BizTalk Server 2006 Hits Second Beta Mark

• By Stuart J. Johnston
• November 22, 2005

Microsoft quietly announced this week that it has released Beta 2 of BizTalk Server 2006 for download and the product remains on schedule.

The first beta test release went out in early August, and company officials said earlier this month that the final code release is still set for the first half of 2006.

BizTalk Server 2006 features a simplified installation wizard and a new management console designed to give administrators the ability to package applications into .msi files using Microsoft’s Windows Installer. It also adds business activity monitoring enhancements that support real-time business activity subscriptions and alerts.

The package also has new and updated development tools, including the Flat File Schema Creation Wizard, a SharePoint Services adapter and a POP3 adapter. The server is also closely integrated with Visual Studio 2005 and the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. Enterprise and standard editions also include 26 application and technology adapters.

Minimum system requirements for BizTalk Server 2006 running on 32-bit CPUs are: 1 GHz or higher for single processors, 900 MHz or higher for dual processors, and 700 MHz or higher for quad-processor systems. Requirements for systems with 64-bit memory addressing call for 1.7 GHz or higher processors.