But he only offers vague assurances of "pull-through, " as the customers who load up on Compaq's industry-standard Web-servers and related equipment also turn to Compaq's services arm to link it all together.

FORBES: Desktop battle plan

There are still notable gaps--software and consulting--but Compaq brought storage and services to HP.

FORBES: Magazine Article

"Customers whose companies have branch offices in Bangladesh, and run all different platforms and all different OSs, those customers will look to IBM, HP, and Compaq to provide comprehensive services, " said Paul McNamara, general manager of the business enterprise unit at Red Hat.

CNN: The big business of Linux

One piece of Compaq whose role is still fuzzy is the 22, 000-employee services business it inherited from DEC.

FORBES: Desktop battle plan

Although it has yet to prove it can offer the one-stop shop for technology and services that the aristocrats of the computing business have made their own, Compaq could not have signalled its intentions more clearly.

ECONOMIST: Compaq goes after Big Blue