Hi,
I'm running CentOS on all kinds of setups: servers, workstations, desktops and laptops.
Up until now, I'm only using NetworkManager on laptops, since it makes sense to use it there. On servers and desktop clients, I usually remove it and configure the network "traditionally" by simply editing /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-whatever, /etc/resolv.conf, /etc/hosts, /etc/hostname and /etc/sysconfig/network. Running NetworkManager on anything else than a laptop has never made any sense to me, since it's basically an extra layer of abstraction.
With the latest update, the removal of NetworkManager on a desktop client isn't possible anymore, since 'yum remove NetworkManager' also tries to remove 'gdm', and disabling it on startup spews back all sorts of errors.
If you folks at Red Hat are reading this, I have one question: WHY ?
Niki Kovacs