There is a testing standard that should be followed: `Ticket001Spec <https://github.com/jboner/akka/blob/master/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/ticket/Ticket001Spec.scala>`_
There is a useful test kit for testing actors: `akka.util.TestKit <https://github.com/jboner/akka/tree/master/akka-testkit/src/main/scala/akka/testkit/TestKit.scala>`_. It enables assertions concerning replies received and their timing, there is more documentation in the :ref:`akka-testkit` module.
You can use the 'NetworkFailureTest' trait to test network failure. See the 'RemoteErrorHandlingNetworkTest' test. Your tests needs to end with 'NetworkTest'. They are disabled by default. To run them you need to enable a flag.
It uses 'ipfw' for network management. Mac OSX comes with it installed but if you are on another platform you might need to install it yourself. Here is a port: