Hi, I have a question but first I'll answer yours:
- There is no way to avoid the "rename = delete + create" through the REST API. The REST API identifies the network by its name so when it sees a new name, it thinks "the network with the old name disappeared, and there's one new network with this new name". Personally I consider the lack of persistent network identifier a design flaw.
- Since the GUI uses a private API, I assume the private API does present a persistent ID for vApp networks and this allows a true rename operation.
Now, my question:
Can you confirm that you are just detaching the adapters and not deleting them? I imagine, that if you just detach the adapters from the network, without deleting them, all adapter settings (including IP address) should remain intact.