HP in a late afternoon update said it had bought 3Com in a cash deal the equivalent of $2.7 billion. The deal is meant to help HP’s involvement in the server and networking businesses and turns the PC builder into a near-total source for datacenters and other large-scale server environments. The two partners are still waiting on government approval but hope to complete the deal sometime in the first half of next year


It’s unknown what impact the merger will have on 3Com’s other products. Besides business-class networking, it also offers security services and produces a number of products for home users, such as hybrid modem/router combos. It’s also unsaid whether or not HP will roll technologies acquired from 3Com into any non-business products.