Page "Cisco Systems" Paragraph 5

Between 1992 and 1994, Cisco also acquired several companies in Ethernet switching, most notably Kalpana, Grand Junction and Crescendo Communications which together formed the Catalyst business unit.

At the time, the company envisioned layer 3 routing and layer 2 ( Ethernet, Token Ring ) switching as complementary functions of different intelligence and architecture – the former was slow and complex, the latter was fast but simple.

This philosophy dominated the company's product lines throughout 1990s.