diff --git a/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/integrationtests/MavenITmng2883LegacyRepoOfflineTest.java b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/integrationtests/MavenITmng2883LegacyRepoOfflineTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5621e1f3dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/integrationtests/MavenITmng2883LegacyRepoOfflineTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,350 @@
+package org.apache.maven.integrationtests;
+
+import org.apache.maven.artifact.versioning.InvalidVersionSpecificationException;
+import org.apache.maven.it.VerificationException;
+import org.apache.maven.it.Verifier;
+import org.apache.maven.it.util.IOUtil;
+import org.apache.maven.it.util.ResourceExtractor;
+import org.apache.maven.it.util.StringUtils;
+
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.FileReader;
+import java.io.FileWriter;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.Reader;
+import java.io.Writer;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ * This is a sample integration test. The IT tests typically
+ * operate by having a sample project in the
+ * /src/test/resources folder along with a junit test like
+ * this one. The junit test uses the verifier (which uses
+ * the invoker) to invoke a new instance of Maven on the
+ * project in the resources folder. It then checks the
+ * results. This is a non-trivial example that shows two
+ * phases. See more information inline in the code.
+ *
+ * @author <a href="mailto:brianf@apache.org">Brian Fox</a>
+ *
+ */
+public class MavenITmng2883LegacyRepoOfflineTest
+    extends AbstractMavenIntegrationTestCase
+{
+    public MavenITmng2883LegacyRepoOfflineTest()
+        throws InvalidVersionSpecificationException
+    {
+        super( "(2.0.4,)" );
+    }
+
+    public void testParentUnresolvable()
+        throws Exception
+    {
+        String testName = "parent";
+        File testDir = ResourceExtractor.simpleExtractResources( getClass(),
+                                                                 "/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/"
+                                                                                 + testName );
+
+        Verifier verifier;
+
+        verifier = new Verifier( testDir.getAbsolutePath() );
+
+        File settings = writeSettings( testDir );
+        List cliOptions = new ArrayList();
+
+        // used to inject the remote repository
+        cliOptions.add( "-s" );
+        cliOptions.add( settings.getAbsolutePath() );
+
+        verifier.setCliOptions( cliOptions );
+
+        // execute once just to make sure this test works at all!
+        try
+        {
+            // this will ensure that all relevant plugins are present.
+            verifier.executeGoal( "initialize" );
+        }
+        catch ( VerificationException e )
+        {
+            throw new VerificationException( "Build should succeed the first time through when NOT in offline mode!", e );
+        }
+
+        // the centerpiece of these tests!
+        cliOptions.add( "-o" );
+
+        verifier.setCliOptions( cliOptions );
+        verifier.setAutoclean( false );
+
+        // clear out the parent POM if it's in the local repository.
+        verifier.deleteArtifact( "org.apache.maven.its.mng2883", "parent", "1.0-SNAPSHOT", "pom" );
+
+        try
+        {
+            verifier.executeGoal( "initialize" );
+
+            fail( "Build should fail with unresolvable parent POM." );
+        }
+        catch ( VerificationException e )
+        {
+        }
+
+        List missingMessages = new ArrayList();
+        missingMessages.add( "System is offline." );
+        missingMessages.add( "org.apache.maven.its.mng2883:parent:pom:1.0-SNAPSHOT" );
+
+        List lines = verifier.loadFile( new File( testDir, "log.txt" ), false );
+
+        for ( Iterator it = lines.iterator(); it.hasNext(); )
+        {
+            String line = (String) it.next();
+            for ( Iterator messageIt = missingMessages.iterator(); messageIt.hasNext(); )
+            {
+                String message = (String) messageIt.next();
+
+                if ( line.indexOf( message ) > -1 )
+                {
+                    messageIt.remove();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        if ( !missingMessages.isEmpty() )
+        {
+            StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer();
+
+            buffer.append( "The following key messages were missing from build output:\n\n" );
+
+            for ( Iterator it = missingMessages.iterator(); it.hasNext(); )
+            {
+                String message = (String) it.next();
+                if ( buffer.length() < 1 )
+                {
+                    buffer.append( "\n" );
+                }
+                buffer.append( '\'' ).append( message ).append( '\'' );
+            }
+
+            fail( buffer.toString() );
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void testDependencyUnresolvable()
+        throws Exception
+    {
+        String testName = "dependency";
+        File testDir = ResourceExtractor.simpleExtractResources( getClass(),
+                                                                 "/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/"
+                                                                                 + testName );
+
+        Verifier verifier;
+
+        verifier = new Verifier( testDir.getAbsolutePath() );
+
+        List cliOptions = new ArrayList();
+
+        File settings = writeSettings( testDir );
+
+        // used to inject the remote repository
+        cliOptions.add( "-s" );
+        cliOptions.add( settings.getAbsolutePath() );
+
+        verifier.setCliOptions( cliOptions );
+
+        // execute once just to make sure this test works at all!
+        try
+        {
+            // this will ensure that all relevant plugins are present.
+            verifier.executeGoal( "compile" );
+        }
+        catch ( VerificationException e )
+        {
+            throw new VerificationException( "Build should succeed the first time through when NOT in offline mode!", e );
+        }
+
+        // the centerpiece of these tests!
+        cliOptions.add( "-o" );
+
+        verifier.setCliOptions( cliOptions );
+
+        // clear out the dependency if it's in the local repository.
+        verifier.deleteArtifact( "org.apache.maven.its.mng2883", "dep", "1.0-SNAPSHOT", "pom" );
+        verifier.deleteArtifact( "org.apache.maven.its.mng2883", "dep", "1.0-SNAPSHOT", "jar" );
+
+        try
+        {
+            verifier.executeGoal( "compile" );
+
+            fail( "Build should fail with unresolvable dependency artifact." );
+        }
+        catch ( VerificationException e )
+        {
+        }
+
+        List missingMessages = new ArrayList();
+
+        // FIXME: We need a more prominent diagnosis including system being in offline mode for 2.0.x.
+        missingMessages.add( "offline mode." );
+        missingMessages.add( "org.apache.maven.its.mng2883:dep:jar:1.0-SNAPSHOT" );
+
+        List lines = verifier.loadFile( new File( testDir, "log.txt" ), false );
+
+        for ( Iterator it = lines.iterator(); it.hasNext(); )
+        {
+            String line = (String) it.next();
+            for ( Iterator messageIt = missingMessages.iterator(); messageIt.hasNext(); )
+            {
+                String message = (String) messageIt.next();
+
+                if ( line.indexOf( message ) > -1 )
+                {
+                    messageIt.remove();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        if ( !missingMessages.isEmpty() )
+        {
+            StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer();
+
+            buffer.append( "The following key messages were missing from build output:\n\n" );
+
+            for ( Iterator it = missingMessages.iterator(); it.hasNext(); )
+            {
+                String message = (String) it.next();
+                if ( buffer.length() < 1 )
+                {
+                    buffer.append( "\n" );
+                }
+                buffer.append( '\'' ).append( message ).append( '\'' );
+            }
+
+            fail( buffer.toString() );
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void testPluginUnresolvable()
+        throws Exception
+    {
+        String testName = "plugin";
+        File testDir = ResourceExtractor.simpleExtractResources( getClass(),
+                                                                 "/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/"
+                                                                                 + testName );
+
+        Verifier verifier;
+
+        verifier = new Verifier( testDir.getAbsolutePath() );
+
+        List cliOptions = new ArrayList();
+
+        // the centerpiece of these tests!
+        cliOptions.add( "-o" );
+
+        File settings = writeSettings( testDir );
+
+        // used to inject the remote repository
+        cliOptions.add( "-s" );
+        cliOptions.add( settings.getAbsolutePath() );
+
+        verifier.setCliOptions( cliOptions );
+
+        // clear out the dependency if it's in the local repository.
+        verifier.deleteArtifact( "org.apache.maven.its.mng2883", "plugin", "1.0-SNAPSHOT", "pom" );
+        verifier.deleteArtifact( "org.apache.maven.its.mng2883", "plugin", "1.0-SNAPSHOT", "jar" );
+
+        try
+        {
+            verifier.executeGoal( "org.apache.maven.its.mng2883:plugin:1.0-SNAPSHOT:run" );
+
+            fail( "Build should fail with unresolvable plugin artifact." );
+        }
+        catch ( VerificationException e )
+        {
+        }
+
+        List missingMessages = new ArrayList();
+        missingMessages.add( "System is offline." );
+        missingMessages.add( "org.apache.maven.its.mng2883:plugin:pom:1.0-SNAPSHOT" );
+
+        List lines = verifier.loadFile( new File( testDir, "log.txt" ), false );
+
+        for ( Iterator it = lines.iterator(); it.hasNext(); )
+        {
+            String line = (String) it.next();
+            for ( Iterator messageIt = missingMessages.iterator(); messageIt.hasNext(); )
+            {
+                String message = (String) messageIt.next();
+
+                if ( line.indexOf( message ) > -1 )
+                {
+                    messageIt.remove();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        if ( !missingMessages.isEmpty() )
+        {
+            StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer();
+
+            buffer.append( "The following key messages were missing from build output:\n\n" );
+
+            for ( Iterator it = missingMessages.iterator(); it.hasNext(); )
+            {
+                String message = (String) it.next();
+                if ( buffer.length() < 1 )
+                {
+                    buffer.append( "\n" );
+                }
+                buffer.append( '\'' ).append( message ).append( '\'' );
+            }
+
+            fail( buffer.toString() );
+        }
+    }
+
+    private File writeSettings( File testDir )
+        throws IOException
+    {
+        File settingsIn = new File( testDir.getParentFile(), "settings.xml.in" );
+
+        String settingsContent = null;
+        Reader reader = null;
+        try
+        {
+            reader = new FileReader( settingsIn );
+            settingsContent = IOUtil.toString( reader );
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            IOUtil.close( reader );
+        }
+
+        settingsContent = StringUtils.replace( settingsContent,
+                                               "@TESTDIR@",
+                                               testDir.getAbsolutePath() );
+
+        File settingsOut = new File( testDir, "settings.xml" );
+
+        System.out.println( "Writing tets settings to: " + settingsOut );
+
+        if ( settingsOut.exists() )
+        {
+            settingsOut.delete();
+        }
+
+        Writer writer = null;
+        try
+        {
+            writer = new FileWriter( settingsOut );
+            IOUtil.copy( settingsContent, writer );
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            IOUtil.close( writer );
+        }
+
+        return settingsOut;
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/pom.xml b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/pom.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..14e429fd52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/pom.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+  xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+  <groupId>org.apache.maven.its.mng2883</groupId>
+  <artifactId>dependency-user</artifactId>
+  <packaging>jar</packaging>
+  <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+  
+  <dependencies>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>org.apache.maven.its.mng2883</groupId>
+      <artifactId>dep</artifactId>
+      <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>junit</groupId>
+      <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
+      <version>3.8.1</version>
+      <scope>test</scope>
+    </dependency>
+  </dependencies>
+  
+  <build>
+    <plugins>
+      <plugin>
+        <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
+        <version>2.0.2</version>
+      </plugin>
+      <plugin>
+        <artifactId>maven-resources-plugin</artifactId>
+        <version>2.0</version>
+      </plugin>
+    </plugins>
+  </build>
+</project>
diff --git a/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/jars/dep-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/jars/dep-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..668bdc1370
Binary files /dev/null and b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/jars/dep-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar differ
diff --git a/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/poms/dep-1.0-SNAPSHOT.pom b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/poms/dep-1.0-SNAPSHOT.pom
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..340a7bec67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/poms/dep-1.0-SNAPSHOT.pom
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+  xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+  <groupId>org.apache.maven.its.mng2883</groupId>
+  <artifactId>dep</artifactId>
+  <packaging>jar</packaging>
+  <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+  
+  <dependencies>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>junit</groupId>
+      <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
+      <version>3.8.1</version>
+      <scope>test</scope>
+    </dependency>
+  </dependencies>
+</project>
diff --git a/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/src/main/java/tests/App.java b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/src/main/java/tests/App.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..53e46ad9e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/dependency/src/main/java/tests/App.java
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+package tests;
+
+/**
+ * Hello world!
+ *
+ */
+public class App 
+{
+    public static void main( String[] args )
+    {
+        System.out.println( "Hello World!" );
+    }
+}
diff --git a/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/parent/pom.xml b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/parent/pom.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f30ff4deba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/parent/pom.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+  xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+  
+  <parent>
+    <groupId>org.apache.maven.its.mng2883</groupId>
+    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <artifactId>parent</artifactId>
+  </parent>
+  
+  <artifactId>snapshot-offline-parent-legacyRepo</artifactId>
+
+</project>
diff --git a/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/parent/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/poms/parent-1.0-SNAPSHOT.pom b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/parent/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/poms/parent-1.0-SNAPSHOT.pom
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0d72387627
--- /dev/null
+++ b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/parent/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/poms/parent-1.0-SNAPSHOT.pom
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+  xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+  
+  <groupId>org.apache.maven.its.mng2883</groupId>
+  <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+  <artifactId>parent</artifactId>
+  
+  <packaging>pom</packaging>
+
+  <dependencies>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>junit</groupId>
+      <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
+      <version>3.8.1</version>
+      <scope>test</scope>
+    </dependency>
+  </dependencies>
+</project>
diff --git a/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/plugin/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/jars/plugin-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/plugin/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/jars/plugin-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..668bdc1370
Binary files /dev/null and b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/plugin/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/jars/plugin-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar differ
diff --git a/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/plugin/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/poms/plugin-1.0-SNAPSHOT.pom b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/plugin/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/poms/plugin-1.0-SNAPSHOT.pom
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0376a4ab30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/plugin/remote-repository/org.apache.maven.its.mng2883/poms/plugin-1.0-SNAPSHOT.pom
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
+  xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+  <groupId>org.apache.maven.its.mng2883</groupId>
+  <artifactId>plugin</artifactId>
+  <packaging>jar</packaging>
+  <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+  
+  <dependencies>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>junit</groupId>
+      <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
+      <version>3.8.1</version>
+      <scope>test</scope>
+    </dependency>
+  </dependencies>
+</project>
diff --git a/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/settings.xml.in b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/settings.xml.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7cafca4c16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/its/core-integration-tests/src/test/resources/mng-2883-legacy-repo-offline/settings.xml.in
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+<settings>
+  <profiles>
+    <profile>
+      <id>remote-repository</id>
+      <repositories>
+        <repository>
+          <id>testing-repo</id>
+          <url>file://@TESTDIR@/remote-repository</url>
+          <layout>legacy</layout>
+        </repository>
+      </repositories>
+      <pluginRepositories>
+        <pluginRepository>
+          <id>testing-repo</id>
+          <url>file://@TESTDIR@/remote-repository</url>
+          <layout>legacy</layout>
+        </pluginRepository>
+      </pluginRepositories>
+    </profile>
+  </profiles>
+  <activeProfiles>
+    <activeProfile>remote-repository</activeProfile>
+  </activeProfiles>
+</settings>
\ No newline at end of file