One of the SAN's most important features is backup, because it's the best way to keep massive, streaming amounts of traffic from clogging a network. Separate networks let Mirage shovel gigabytes per minute of data between disk and tape on the SAN without slowing down the transactions for the front desk operations or casino on the production network. Bonner assigned his best engineer to research storage options three years ago, when the company realized it would need a new system to accommodate traffic increases at the then-forthcoming Bellagio. Finding a method to execute backup in the time allowed was critical, but so was the stability of the vendor. Local service and support was non-negotiable.
Few businesses generate revenue every minute of the day, but casinos do.
Taking thousands of slot machines off-line for backup was never an option. StorageTek made the short list of vendors that had the right equipment and local support. Bonner visited CitiBank's nearby credit card clearinghouse. CitiBank has eight 9310 automated cartridge systems online, and StorageTek already had local support in place. Bonner felt that StorageTek provided the scalability and reliability he needed, and had the company's 9310 installed in September 1997.