Mac OS X 10.2: Software Update Command Requires DNS

DNS must be available for the "softwareupdate" command-line tool to work. When there is no DNS service, softwareupdate incorrectly reports that software is already up-to-date.
Symptom

The softwareupdate tool incorrectly reports that software is up-to-date. This happens when it cannot reach or resolve the target server.


Solution

There are two workarounds to this issue:
Published Date: Feb 17, 2012