"And as it is a new vNIC with a new MAC you'll get a new IP and have to go to the DHCP server to set it all up again... perfect!"
The vNIC should be the same unless the patch is able to reach out into the VMWare configuration to remove and then read the network adaptor. If it is just the NIC inside Windows that gets replaced (seems likely) then it will still have the same MAC address.
Please note though that I still don't agree with the original idiotic "DHCP is the answer to everything post".
Biting the hand that feeds IT
