Server for COBOL provides the standard runtime support for deployed COBOL applications.

Server for SOA adds the ability to deploy a COBOL application as a web services or a J2EE service.

Server for SOA applications are hosted within a specialised application environment we call Enterprise Server which is included as part of the SOA package.

The same functionality is now also available in Visual COBOL and which has been extended to offer RESTful web services support.

For pricing information, please contact me directly scot.nielsen@microfocus.com

Regards, Scot Nielsen

Product Manager - COBOL

For migration for an application running on Server Express  COBOL Server for SOA environment to latest environment I will like to understand that while  Server Express programs will be migrated to Visual COBOL what will replace the COBOL Server for SOA product. Will changes to the COBOL programs be required

Actually for Server Express which is the development product the companion production product was called Server for COBOL SOA or Server 5.1 SOA depending on the product version.

In Visual COBOL the companion production product is called COBOL Server SOA. For Visual COBOL the Development product which actually runs under Linux/Unix systems is called Development Hub or DevHub for short. Developers typically run this is conjunction with the Visual COBOL Eclipse product which runs under Windows. You also have the option to install Visual COBOL for Eclipse directly on Linux systems.

If you look at the documentation link here

and scroll to the bottom you will see a section entitled Upgrade Documentation. This section includes links to several documents which outline possible product differences between Server Express and the Visual COBOL product.