rule of thumb on SAN management

More complexity means more management. This seems to be a no-brainer. When things are more complex, they break more. That means you need visibility on the components of the system to ensure you know what broke, or what is about to.

Unlike a common Ethernet, when you're using FC-AL for your SAN, in-band management is not the preferred method. So plan on using out-of-band management through a separate Ethernet connection to your SAN components.