NETWORKING GEAR Rising From Ashes Of Cabletron Enterasys, which will replace Cabletron on exchange, aims to avoid past mistakes.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)

Byline: Mike Angell

For Cabletron Systems Inc., breaking up isn't hard to do, it's the best thing to do.

A onetime networking giant, Cabletron was a casualty of Cisco System Inc.'s decade-long rise to the top of the network gear industry.

In February of 2000, it split into four units. It spun off one of those units, Riverstone Networks Inc., as an initial public offering in February 2001.

Now the next fledgling, Enterasys Networks Inc., becomes a stand-alone company. On Aug. 6, Cabletron will cease to exist and Enterasys will take its place on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company, which makes networking products for businesses, rebuilt itself after a three-year slump thanks to new, less expensive technology acquired from a start-up. But it still faces competition from Cisco and other firms. Enterasys will have to make a name for itself in a harsh environment, analysts say.

"They've had some tough times as Cabletron, but they're trying to turn it around," said FAC/Equities analyst Matt Barzowskas. "Their worries right now are Cisco, a continuing slowdown and building a reputation as Enterasys, not as Cabletron."