IceBox
IceBox is an application server that allows C++, Java, and .NET applications to be hosted as as services within a single address space (instead of each being a separate server process). This allows applications to take advantage of collocation optimizations, conserves resources because several services can share a single virtual machine, and decouples servers from service, so services can be combined or separated as needed.
IceBox services have a service interface that permits centralized administration. Via this interface, services can be started, stopped, and their status monitored. IceBox is integrated with IceGrid, so you can control IceBox services with the IceGrid management application. Converting a stand-alone server into and IceBox service (or vice versa) requires minimal code changes, so you can easily deploy existing servers as IceBox services, should the need arise.