Red Hat Enterprise MRG Messaging 2.0 shipped on June 23, announced as part of the overall Red Hat Enterprise MRG 2.0 announcement http://red.ht/jVvqsM. Red Hat Enterprise MRG Messaging is a strategic standalone messaging platform that supports the Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP), an initiative supported by a range of vendors and end-user organizations. With support for AMQP, Red Hat Enterprise MRG Messaging offers interoperability in a range of different application environments that include Java, JMS, .NET and Python. For more information on the specifications and the technology, check out the AMQP.org website or take a look at the Enterprise MRG Messaging documentation at www.redhat.com/mrg/messaging/.

AMQP bills itself as “the Internet Protocol for Business Messaging” due to its overarching goal to create a new foundation for distributed computing that is “Internet-aware” in terms of capabilities and scope, while addressing the “real world” requirements of business – such as assured message delivery and message security.

To be the Internet protocol for business messaging also means offering the kind of performance that can address new requirements. Enterprise MRG Messaging’s ability to leverage the underlying Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system has direct benefits here. And when you consider how nicely we support virtualized configurations, with little of the overhead that plagues other offerings, the story becomes all the more attractive.

Delivering an enterprise-ready messaging platform also means support for different application environments, because modern businesses are not homogeneous entities – they have a mix of environments that should be tied together seamlessly and cost-effectively. It also means that what is an “application” is changing. Ten years ago, application integration meant connecting the order entry system with the inventory system, or the sales system with the customer service application. It was a world dominated by traditional business applications. Of course, these applications still exist, but applications in the modern age are a whole lot more. Anyone reading this posting probably has a smart phone within arm's reach – and what makes that device “intelligent” is the ability to run applications.

But beyond the applications that assist mobile users, there is a whole new category of applications. More and more we are seeing intelligent embedded devices that might be in a fixed location (transformers and sensors in a “smart grid”) or highly mobile (telematics for vehicle tracking, satellite telemetry). Sending out signals is of little use, unless you can capture the information. They are, for all intents and purposes, embedded applications that need to be tied into the enterprise infrastructure. To date, that effort has been much too complex and expensive, pointing to the need for an open, cost-effective platform like Red Hat Enterprise MRG Messaging.

Lastly, there is the cloud. Open integration is fundamental to Red Hat's cloud initiative and Red Hat Enterprise MRG Messaging is an important element in that effort.

If you are not familiar with Red Hat Enterprise MRG Messaging, you can read more here. As our announcement hints, there's a lot happening. As a way to knit together a range of different application environments, messaging truly forms a critical piece of the distributed computing infrastructure.

If you missed the June 23 announcement, you can watch the replay of our webcast here.