Мдя...
Баг со статическими адресами и с необходимостью перезагрузки действительно есть...
Обещают исправить в версии 0.7 (а сейчас какая?)
"How do I setup a static IP address with NetworkManager?
NetworkManager has limited support for static IP addressing. Configuration of static IPs is distribution specific and should use that distribution's normal network configuration methods.
For example, on Fedora Core, using the system-config-network tool or editing /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth1 to set a static IP up for the device 'eth1' would result in NetworkManager using that static IP configuration whenever you connect to an access point using eth1. Obviously, since static IP configuration is always a manual task, NetworkManager is not able to automate the process in any way.
Better support of static IP addresses is planned and in-progress for NetworkManager 0.7."
"We plan to remove the requirement for restarting NetworkManager to recognize new VPN plugins with the 0.7 version."
Источник:
http://live.gnome.org/DarrenAlbers/NetworkManagerFAQ