I'm seeing the following issue w/ SL7 installation:

 - Doing a network install w/ http acquired kickstart

 - The kickstart package selection is "--nobase @core"

 - The kickstart file has the following static ip declaration:

     network --device=link --activate
       --hostname=<xxx> --bootproto=static --noipv6 
       --ip=<xxx> --netmask=<xxx> --gateway=<xxx> --nameserver=<xxx>,<xxx>

 - The install works fine, and the network comes up properly.
   Specifically, (w/ <gateway> being the proper gateway address):

     #] ip route
     default via <gateway> dev em1  proto static  metric 1024 
     x.x.x.0/23 dev em1  proto kernel  scope link  src x.x.x.x 

 - The file /etc/sysconfig/network contains just a comment, 
   and /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-em1 contains:

     [...]
     GATEWAY0=<gateway>
     DEFROUTE=yes
     [...]

 - However, this is for non-mobile, desktop workstations w/ assigned
   IP addresses, and I don't like having NetworkManager around 
   potentially messing w/ the static network settings.

 - In the past (SL5,SL6), I've just not installed NetworkManager
   and everything works fine and dandy.

 - In SL7, however, if NetworkManager is not present, (deinstalled 
   or not installed in the first place) the network does *not* come
   up properly: the ip address is fine, but the routing is wrong:

     #] ip route
     169.254.0.0/16 dev em1  scope link  metric 1002 
     x.x.x.0/23 dev em1  proto kernel  scope link  src x.x.x.x 

So what gives?  We shouldn't need NetworkManager for static ip's.