diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SchedulerSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SchedulerSpec.scala
index b7c0ba6c8a..d440968d33 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SchedulerSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/SchedulerSpec.scala
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@ package akka.actor
 
 import org.scalatest.BeforeAndAfterEach
 import org.multiverse.api.latches.StandardLatch
-import java.util.concurrent.{ ConcurrentLinkedQueue, CountDownLatch, TimeUnit }
 import akka.testkit.AkkaSpec
 import akka.testkit.EventFilter
+import akka.util.duration._
+import java.util.concurrent.{ CountDownLatch, ConcurrentLinkedQueue, TimeUnit }
 
 @org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
 class SchedulerSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterEach {
@@ -28,14 +29,14 @@ class SchedulerSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterEach {
         def receive = { case Tick ⇒ countDownLatch.countDown() }
       })
       // run every 50 millisec
-      collectCancellable(system.scheduler.schedule(tickActor, Tick, 0, 50, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
+      collectCancellable(system.scheduler.schedule(tickActor, Tick, 0 milliseconds, 50 milliseconds))
 
       // after max 1 second it should be executed at least the 3 times already
       assert(countDownLatch.await(1, TimeUnit.SECONDS))
 
       val countDownLatch2 = new CountDownLatch(3)
 
-      collectCancellable(system.scheduler.schedule(() ⇒ countDownLatch2.countDown(), 0, 50, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
+      collectCancellable(system.scheduler.schedule(() ⇒ countDownLatch2.countDown(), 0 milliseconds, 50 milliseconds))
 
       // after max 1 second it should be executed at least the 3 times already
       assert(countDownLatch2.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS))
@@ -49,8 +50,8 @@ class SchedulerSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterEach {
       })
 
       // run every 50 millisec
-      collectCancellable(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(tickActor, Tick, 50, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
-      collectCancellable(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(() ⇒ countDownLatch.countDown(), 50, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
+      collectCancellable(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(tickActor, Tick, 50 milliseconds))
+      collectCancellable(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(() ⇒ countDownLatch.countDown(), 50 milliseconds))
 
       // after 1 second the wait should fail
       assert(countDownLatch.await(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS) == false)
@@ -58,22 +59,6 @@ class SchedulerSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterEach {
       assert(countDownLatch.getCount == 1)
     }
 
-    /**
-     * ticket #372
-     * FIXME rewrite the test so that registry is not used
-     */
-    // "not create actors" in {
-    //   object Ping
-    //   val ticks = new CountDownLatch(1000)
-    //   val actor = actorOf(new Actor {
-    //     def receive = { case Ping ⇒ ticks.countDown }
-    //   })
-    //   val numActors = system.registry.local.actors.length
-    //   (1 to 1000).foreach(_ ⇒ collectFuture(Scheduler.scheduleOnce(actor, Ping, 1, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)))
-    //   assert(ticks.await(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS))
-    //   assert(system.registry.local.actors.length === numActors)
-    // }
-
     /**
      * ticket #372
      */
@@ -86,7 +71,7 @@ class SchedulerSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterEach {
       })
 
       (1 to 10).foreach { i ⇒
-        val timeout = collectCancellable(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(actor, Ping, 1, TimeUnit.SECONDS))
+        val timeout = collectCancellable(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(actor, Ping, 1 second))
         timeout.cancel()
       }
 
@@ -114,15 +99,59 @@ class SchedulerSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterEach {
       })
       val actor = (supervisor ? props).as[ActorRef].get
 
-      collectCancellable(system.scheduler.schedule(actor, Ping, 500, 500, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
+      collectCancellable(system.scheduler.schedule(actor, Ping, 500 milliseconds, 500 milliseconds))
       // appx 2 pings before crash
       EventFilter[Exception]("CRASH", occurrences = 1) intercept {
-        collectCancellable(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(actor, Crash, 1000, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
+        collectCancellable(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(actor, Crash, 1000 milliseconds))
       }
 
       assert(restartLatch.tryAwait(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS))
       // should be enough time for the ping countdown to recover and reach 6 pings
       assert(pingLatch.await(4, TimeUnit.SECONDS))
     }
+
+    "never fire prematurely" in {
+      val ticks = new CountDownLatch(300)
+
+      case class Msg(ts: Long)
+
+      val actor = actorOf(new Actor {
+        def receive = {
+          case Msg(ts) ⇒
+            val now = System.currentTimeMillis
+            // Make sure that no message has been dispatched before the scheduled time (10ms) has occurred
+            if (now - ts < 10) throw new RuntimeException("Interval is too small: " + (now - ts))
+            ticks.countDown()
+        }
+      })
+
+      (1 to 300).foreach { i ⇒
+        collectCancellable(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(actor, Msg(System.currentTimeMillis), 10 milliseconds))
+        Thread.sleep(5)
+      }
+
+      assert(ticks.await(3, TimeUnit.SECONDS) == true)
+    }
+
+    "schedule with different initial delay and frequency" in {
+      val ticks = new CountDownLatch(3)
+
+      case object Msg
+
+      val actor = actorOf(new Actor {
+        def receive = {
+          case Msg ⇒ ticks.countDown()
+        }
+      })
+
+      val startTime = System.nanoTime()
+      val cancellable = system.scheduler.schedule(actor, Msg, 1 second, 100 milliseconds)
+      ticks.await(3, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+      val elapsedTimeMs = (System.nanoTime() - startTime) / 1000000
+
+      assert(elapsedTimeMs > 1200)
+      assert(elapsedTimeMs < 1500) // the precision is not ms exact
+      cancellable.cancel()
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/config/ConfigSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/config/ConfigSpec.scala
index c58a24be7c..b594ea0f19 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/config/ConfigSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/config/ConfigSpec.scala
@@ -5,12 +5,10 @@
 package akka.config
 
 import akka.testkit.AkkaSpec
-import akka.actor.ActorSystem
-import java.io.File
 import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
 import com.typesafe.config.ConfigParseOptions
 import scala.collection.JavaConverters._
-import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit
+import akka.util.duration._
 import akka.util.Duration
 
 @org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
@@ -37,7 +35,7 @@ class ConfigSpec extends AkkaSpec(ConfigFactory.parseResource(classOf[ConfigSpec
       getInt("akka.actor.default-dispatcher.mailbox-capacity") must equal(-1)
       getMilliseconds("akka.actor.default-dispatcher.mailbox-push-timeout-time") must equal(10 * 1000)
       getMilliseconds("akka.actor.dispatcher-shutdown-timeout") must equal(1 * 1000)
-      settings.DispatcherDefaultShutdown must equal(Duration(1, TimeUnit.SECONDS))
+      settings.DispatcherDefaultShutdown must equal(1 second)
       getInt("akka.actor.default-dispatcher.throughput") must equal(5)
       settings.DispatcherThroughput must equal(5)
       getMilliseconds("akka.actor.default-dispatcher.throughput-deadline-time") must equal(0)
diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/dispatch/MailboxConfigSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/dispatch/MailboxConfigSpec.scala
index 49fec62639..7af8f057d8 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/dispatch/MailboxConfigSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/dispatch/MailboxConfigSpec.scala
@@ -1,14 +1,8 @@
 package akka.dispatch
-import org.scalatest.WordSpec
-import org.scalatest.matchers.MustMatchers
 import org.scalatest.{ BeforeAndAfterAll, BeforeAndAfterEach }
-import org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner
-import org.junit.runner.RunWith
-import java.util.concurrent.{ TimeUnit, CountDownLatch, BlockingQueue }
-import java.util.{ Queue }
+import java.util.concurrent.{ TimeUnit, BlockingQueue }
 import akka.util._
-import akka.util.Duration._
-import akka.actor.{ LocalActorRef, Actor }
+import akka.util.duration._
 import akka.testkit.AkkaSpec
 
 @org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
@@ -23,7 +17,7 @@ abstract class MailboxSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterAll with BeforeAn
       val q = factory(config)
       ensureInitialMailboxState(config, q)
 
-      implicit val within = Duration(1, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+      implicit val within = 1 second
 
       val f = spawn {
         q.dequeue
@@ -33,7 +27,7 @@ abstract class MailboxSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterAll with BeforeAn
     }
 
     "create a bounded mailbox with 10 capacity and with push timeout" in {
-      val config = BoundedMailbox(10, Duration(10, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
+      val config = BoundedMailbox(10, 10 milliseconds)
       val q = factory(config)
       ensureInitialMailboxState(config, q)
 
@@ -58,11 +52,11 @@ abstract class MailboxSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterAll with BeforeAn
     }
 
     "dequeue what was enqueued properly for bounded mailboxes" in {
-      testEnqueueDequeue(BoundedMailbox(10000, Duration(-1, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)))
+      testEnqueueDequeue(BoundedMailbox(10000, -1 millisecond))
     }
 
     "dequeue what was enqueued properly for bounded mailboxes with pushTimeout" in {
-      testEnqueueDequeue(BoundedMailbox(10000, Duration(100, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)))
+      testEnqueueDequeue(BoundedMailbox(10000, 100 milliseconds))
     }
   }
 
@@ -97,7 +91,7 @@ abstract class MailboxSpec extends AkkaSpec with BeforeAndAfterAll with BeforeAn
   }
 
   def testEnqueueDequeue(config: MailboxType) {
-    implicit val within = Duration(10, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+    implicit val within = 10 seconds
     val q = factory(config)
     ensureInitialMailboxState(config, q)
 
diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/performance/microbench/TellThroughputPerformanceSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/performance/microbench/TellThroughputPerformanceSpec.scala
index 75aef7708f..a49e837ac4 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/performance/microbench/TellThroughputPerformanceSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/performance/microbench/TellThroughputPerformanceSpec.scala
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 package akka.performance.microbench
 
 import akka.performance.workbench.PerformanceSpec
-import org.apache.commons.math.stat.descriptive.DescriptiveStatistics
 import akka.actor._
 import java.util.concurrent.{ ThreadPoolExecutor, CountDownLatch, TimeUnit }
 import akka.dispatch._
-import java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.AbortPolicy
 import akka.util.Duration
+import akka.util.duration._
 
 // -server -Xms512M -Xmx1024M -XX:+UseParallelGC -Dbenchmark=true -Dbenchmark.repeatFactor=500
 @org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
@@ -15,7 +14,7 @@ class TellThroughputPerformanceSpec extends PerformanceSpec {
 
   def createDispatcher(name: String) = ThreadPoolConfigDispatcherBuilder(config ⇒
     new Dispatcher(system.dispatcherFactory.prerequisites, name, 5,
-      Duration.Zero, UnboundedMailbox(), config, Duration(60, TimeUnit.SECONDS)), ThreadPoolConfig())
+      Duration.Zero, UnboundedMailbox(), config, 60 seconds), ThreadPoolConfig())
     .withNewThreadPoolWithLinkedBlockingQueueWithUnboundedCapacity
     .setCorePoolSize(maxClients)
     .build
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/akka/util/HashedWheelTimer.java b/akka-actor/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/akka/util/HashedWheelTimer.java
index 328d2dc39f..5dc9a064f6 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/akka/util/HashedWheelTimer.java
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/akka/util/HashedWheelTimer.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 package org.jboss.netty.akka.util;
 
 import akka.event.LoggingAdapter;
+import akka.util.Duration;
 import org.jboss.netty.akka.util.internal.ConcurrentIdentityHashMap;
 import org.jboss.netty.akka.util.internal.ReusableIterator;
 
@@ -96,24 +97,24 @@ public class HashedWheelTimer implements Timer {
      * @param threadFactory  a {@link java.util.concurrent.ThreadFactory} that creates a
      *                       background {@link Thread} which is dedicated to
      *                       {@link TimerTask} execution.
-     * @param tickDuration   the duration between tick
-     * @param unit           the time unit of the {@code tickDuration}
+     * @param duration       the duration between ticks
      * @param ticksPerWheel  the size of the wheel
      */
     public HashedWheelTimer(
             LoggingAdapter logger,
             ThreadFactory threadFactory,
-            long tickDuration, TimeUnit unit, int ticksPerWheel) {
+            Duration duration,
+            int ticksPerWheel) {
 
         if (threadFactory == null) {
             throw new NullPointerException("threadFactory");
         }
-        if (unit == null) {
-            throw new NullPointerException("unit");
+        if (duration == null) {
+            throw new NullPointerException("duration");
         }
-        if (tickDuration <= 0) {
+        if (duration.toNanos() <= 0) {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException(
-                    "tickDuration must be greater than 0: " + tickDuration);
+                    "duration must be greater than 0 ns: " + duration.toNanos());
         }
         if (ticksPerWheel <= 0) {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException(
@@ -128,14 +129,14 @@ public class HashedWheelTimer implements Timer {
         mask = wheel.length - 1;
 
         // Convert tickDuration to milliseconds.
-        this.tickDuration = tickDuration = unit.toMillis(tickDuration);
+        this.tickDuration = duration.toMillis();
 
         // Prevent overflow.
         if (tickDuration == Long.MAX_VALUE ||
                 tickDuration >= Long.MAX_VALUE / wheel.length) {
             throw new IllegalArgumentException(
                     "tickDuration is too long: " +
-                    tickDuration +  ' ' + unit);
+                    tickDuration +  ' ' + duration.unit());
         }
 
         roundDuration = tickDuration * wheel.length;
@@ -231,23 +232,22 @@ public class HashedWheelTimer implements Timer {
         return Collections.unmodifiableSet(unprocessedTimeouts);
     }
 
-    public Timeout newTimeout(TimerTask task, long delay, TimeUnit unit) {
+    public Timeout newTimeout(TimerTask task, Duration delay) {
         final long currentTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
 
         if (task == null) {
             throw new NullPointerException("task");
         }
-        if (unit == null) {
-            throw new NullPointerException("unit");
+        if (delay == null) {
+            throw new NullPointerException("delay");
         }
 
         if (!workerThread.isAlive()) {
             start();
         }
 
-        delay = unit.toMillis(delay);
-        HashedWheelTimeout timeout = new HashedWheelTimeout(task, currentTime + delay);
-        scheduleTimeout(timeout, delay);
+        HashedWheelTimeout timeout = new HashedWheelTimeout(task, currentTime + delay.toMillis());
+        scheduleTimeout(timeout, delay.toMillis());
         return timeout;
     }
 
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/akka/util/Timer.java b/akka-actor/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/akka/util/Timer.java
index 43ddec9604..b5bd8c6a7c 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/akka/util/Timer.java
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/akka/util/Timer.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
  */
 package org.jboss.netty.akka.util;
 
+import akka.util.Duration;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ public interface Timer {
      * @throws IllegalStateException if this timer has been
      *                               {@linkplain #stop() stopped} already
      */
-    Timeout newTimeout(TimerTask task, long delay, TimeUnit unit);
+    Timeout newTimeout(TimerTask task, Duration delay);
 
     /**
      * Releases all resources acquired by this {@link org.jboss.netty.akka.util.Timer} and cancels all
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/resources/akka-actor-reference.conf b/akka-actor/src/main/resources/akka-actor-reference.conf
index d8c2746fcf..a4b74ce474 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/resources/akka-actor-reference.conf
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/resources/akka-actor-reference.conf
@@ -123,5 +123,20 @@ akka {
 
   }
 
+  # Used to set the behavior of the scheduler.
+  # Changing the default values may change the system behavior drastically so make sure you know what you're doing!
+  #
+  scheduler {
+    # The HashedWheelTimer (HWT) implementation from Netty is used as the default scheduler in the system.
+    #
+    # HWT does not execute the scheduled tasks on exact time.
+    # It will, on every tick, check if there are any tasks behind the schedule and execute them.
+    # You can increase or decrease the accuracy of the execution timing by specifying smaller or larger tick duration.
+    # If you are scheduling a lot of tasks you should consider increasing the ticks per wheel.
+    # For more information see: http://www.jboss.org/netty/
+    tickDuration = 100ms
+    ticksPerWheel = 512
+  }
+
 
 }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
index 62066cea00..330824290f 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorCell.scala
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import scala.annotation.tailrec
 import scala.collection.immutable.{ Stack, TreeMap }
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit
 import akka.event.Logging.{ Debug, Warning, Error }
-import akka.util.Helpers
+import akka.util.{ Duration, Helpers }
 
 /**
  * The actor context - the view of the actor cell from the actor.
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ private[akka] class ActorCell(
     if (recvtimeout._1 > 0 && dispatcher.mailboxIsEmpty(this)) {
       recvtimeout._2.cancel() //Cancel any ongoing future
       //Only reschedule if desired and there are currently no more messages to be processed
-      receiveTimeoutData = (recvtimeout._1, system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(self, ReceiveTimeout, recvtimeout._1, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
+      receiveTimeoutData = (recvtimeout._1, system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(self, ReceiveTimeout, Duration(recvtimeout._1, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)))
     } else cancelReceiveTimeout()
 
   }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorRefProvider.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorRefProvider.scala
index 837739cddb..28fc383adf 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorRefProvider.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorRefProvider.scala
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import akka.event.{ Logging, DeathWatch, ActorClassification, EventStream }
 import akka.routing.{ ScatterGatherFirstCompletedRouter, Routing, RouterType, Router, RoutedProps, RoutedActorRef, RoundRobinRouter, RandomRouter, LocalConnectionManager, DirectRouter }
 import akka.AkkaException
 import com.eaio.uuid.UUID
-import akka.util.{ Switch, Helpers }
+import akka.util.{ Duration, Switch, Helpers }
 import akka.remote.RemoteAddress
 import akka.remote.LocalOnly
 
@@ -394,20 +394,20 @@ class LocalDeathWatch extends DeathWatch with ActorClassification {
 
 class DefaultScheduler(hashedWheelTimer: HashedWheelTimer) extends Scheduler {
 
-  def schedule(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, initialDelay: Long, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): Cancellable =
-    new DefaultCancellable(hashedWheelTimer.newTimeout(createContinuousTask(receiver, message, delay, timeUnit), initialDelay, timeUnit))
+  def schedule(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, initialDelay: Duration, delay: Duration): Cancellable =
+    new DefaultCancellable(hashedWheelTimer.newTimeout(createContinuousTask(receiver, message, delay), initialDelay))
 
-  def scheduleOnce(runnable: Runnable, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): Cancellable =
-    new DefaultCancellable(hashedWheelTimer.newTimeout(createSingleTask(runnable), delay, timeUnit))
+  def schedule(f: () ⇒ Unit, initialDelay: Duration, delay: Duration): Cancellable =
+    new DefaultCancellable(hashedWheelTimer.newTimeout(createContinuousTask(f, delay), initialDelay))
 
-  def scheduleOnce(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): Cancellable =
-    new DefaultCancellable(hashedWheelTimer.newTimeout(createSingleTask(receiver, message), delay, timeUnit))
+  def scheduleOnce(runnable: Runnable, delay: Duration): Cancellable =
+    new DefaultCancellable(hashedWheelTimer.newTimeout(createSingleTask(runnable), delay))
 
-  def schedule(f: () ⇒ Unit, initialDelay: Long, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): Cancellable =
-    new DefaultCancellable(hashedWheelTimer.newTimeout(createContinuousTask(f, delay, timeUnit), initialDelay, timeUnit))
+  def scheduleOnce(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, delay: Duration): Cancellable =
+    new DefaultCancellable(hashedWheelTimer.newTimeout(createSingleTask(receiver, message), delay))
 
-  def scheduleOnce(f: () ⇒ Unit, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): Cancellable =
-    new DefaultCancellable(hashedWheelTimer.newTimeout(createSingleTask(f), delay, timeUnit))
+  def scheduleOnce(f: () ⇒ Unit, delay: Duration): Cancellable =
+    new DefaultCancellable(hashedWheelTimer.newTimeout(createSingleTask(f), delay))
 
   private def createSingleTask(runnable: Runnable): TimerTask =
     new TimerTask() { def run(timeout: org.jboss.netty.akka.util.Timeout) { runnable.run() } }
@@ -415,23 +415,23 @@ class DefaultScheduler(hashedWheelTimer: HashedWheelTimer) extends Scheduler {
   private def createSingleTask(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any): TimerTask =
     new TimerTask { def run(timeout: org.jboss.netty.akka.util.Timeout) { receiver ! message } }
 
-  private def createContinuousTask(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): TimerTask = {
+  private def createSingleTask(f: () ⇒ Unit): TimerTask =
+    new TimerTask { def run(timeout: org.jboss.netty.akka.util.Timeout) { f() } }
+
+  private def createContinuousTask(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, delay: Duration): TimerTask = {
     new TimerTask {
       def run(timeout: org.jboss.netty.akka.util.Timeout) {
         receiver ! message
-        timeout.getTimer.newTimeout(this, delay, timeUnit)
+        timeout.getTimer.newTimeout(this, delay)
       }
     }
   }
 
-  private def createSingleTask(f: () ⇒ Unit): TimerTask =
-    new TimerTask { def run(timeout: org.jboss.netty.akka.util.Timeout) { f() } }
-
-  private def createContinuousTask(f: () ⇒ Unit, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): TimerTask = {
+  private def createContinuousTask(f: () ⇒ Unit, delay: Duration): TimerTask = {
     new TimerTask {
       def run(timeout: org.jboss.netty.akka.util.Timeout) {
         f()
-        timeout.getTimer.newTimeout(this, delay, timeUnit)
+        timeout.getTimer.newTimeout(this, delay)
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorSystem.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorSystem.scala
index d15d237629..1bf1ea2bd1 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorSystem.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ActorSystem.scala
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import com.eaio.uuid.UUID
 import akka.serialization.Serialization
 import akka.remote.RemoteAddress
 import org.jboss.netty.akka.util.HashedWheelTimer
-import java.util.concurrent.Executors
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.SECONDS
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS
@@ -23,10 +22,11 @@ import com.typesafe.config.ConfigParseOptions
 import com.typesafe.config.ConfigRoot
 import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
 import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
-import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap
 import akka.util.{ Helpers, Duration, ReflectiveAccess }
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong
 import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap
+import java.util.concurrent.Executors
 import scala.annotation.tailrec
 import akka.serialization.SerializationExtension
 
@@ -94,6 +94,9 @@ object ActorSystem {
 
     val EnabledModules: Seq[String] = getStringList("akka.enabled-modules").asScala
 
+    val SchedulerTickDuration = Duration(getMilliseconds("akka.scheduler.tickDuration"), MILLISECONDS)
+    val SchedulerTicksPerWheel = getInt("akka.scheduler.ticksPerWheel")
+
     if (ConfigVersion != Version)
       throw new ConfigurationException("Akka JAR version [" + Version +
         "] does not match the provided config version [" + ConfigVersion + "]")
@@ -297,8 +300,7 @@ class ActorSystemImpl(val name: String, val applicationConfig: Config) extends A
   eventStream.startStdoutLogger(settings)
   val log = new BusLogging(eventStream, "ActorSystem") // “this” used only for .getClass in tagging messages
 
-  // FIXME make this configurable
-  val scheduler = new DefaultScheduler(new HashedWheelTimer(log, Executors.defaultThreadFactory, 100, MILLISECONDS, 512))
+  val scheduler = new DefaultScheduler(new HashedWheelTimer(log, Executors.defaultThreadFactory, settings.SchedulerTickDuration, settings.SchedulerTicksPerWheel))
 
   val provider: ActorRefProvider = {
     val providerClass = ReflectiveAccess.getClassFor(ProviderClass) match {
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/FSM.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/FSM.scala
index cfd9d511ed..76495843fc 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/FSM.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/FSM.scala
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import akka.util._
 
 import scala.collection.mutable
 import akka.event.Logging
+import akka.util.Duration._
 
 object FSM {
 
@@ -33,9 +34,9 @@ object FSM {
 
     def schedule(actor: ActorRef, timeout: Duration) {
       if (repeat) {
-        ref = Some(system.scheduler.schedule(actor, this, timeout.length, timeout.length, timeout.unit))
+        ref = Some(system.scheduler.schedule(actor, this, timeout, timeout))
       } else {
-        ref = Some(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(actor, this, timeout.length, timeout.unit))
+        ref = Some(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(actor, this, timeout))
       }
     }
 
@@ -522,7 +523,7 @@ trait FSM[S, D] extends ListenerManagement {
       if (timeout.isDefined) {
         val t = timeout.get
         if (t.finite_? && t.length >= 0) {
-          timeoutFuture = Some(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(self, TimeoutMarker(generation), t.length, t.unit))
+          timeoutFuture = Some(system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(self, TimeoutMarker(generation), t))
         }
       }
     }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/Scheduler.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/Scheduler.scala
index d12dcb6329..52a63f1730 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/Scheduler.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/actor/Scheduler.scala
@@ -9,46 +9,50 @@
  * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
- *
- * Rework of David Pollak's ActorPing class in the Lift Project
- * which is licensed under the Apache 2 License.
  */
 package akka.actor
 
-import java.util.concurrent._
 import akka.util.Duration
-import akka.AkkaException
 
-case class SchedulerException(msg: String, e: Throwable) extends AkkaException(msg, e) {
-  def this(msg: String) = this(msg, null)
-}
+trait Scheduler {
+  /**
+   * Schedules a message to be sent repeatedly with an initial delay and frequency.
+   * E.g. if you would like a message to be sent immediately and thereafter every 500ms you would set
+   * delay = Duration.Zero and frequency = Duration(500, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)
+   */
+  def schedule(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, initialDelay: Duration, frequency: Duration): Cancellable
 
-trait JScheduler {
-  def schedule(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, initialDelay: Long, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): Cancellable
-  def scheduleOnce(runnable: Runnable, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): Cancellable
-  def scheduleOnce(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): Cancellable
-}
+  /**
+   * Schedules a function to be run repeatedly with an initial delay and a frequency.
+   * E.g. if you would like the function to be run after 2 seconds and thereafter every 100ms you would set
+   * delay = Duration(2, TimeUnit.SECONDS) and frequency = Duration(100, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)
+   */
+  def schedule(f: () ⇒ Unit, initialDelay: Duration, frequency: Duration): Cancellable
 
-abstract class Scheduler extends JScheduler {
-  def schedule(f: () ⇒ Unit, initialDelay: Long, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): Cancellable
+  /**
+   * Schedules a Runnable to be run once with a delay, i.e. a time period that has to pass before the runnable is executed.
+   */
+  def scheduleOnce(runnable: Runnable, delay: Duration): Cancellable
 
-  def scheduleOnce(f: () ⇒ Unit, delay: Long, timeUnit: TimeUnit): Cancellable
+  /**
+   * Schedules a message to be sent once with a delay, i.e. a time period that has to pass before the message is sent.
+   */
+  def scheduleOnce(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, delay: Duration): Cancellable
 
-  def schedule(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, initialDelay: Duration, delay: Duration): Cancellable =
-    schedule(receiver, message, initialDelay.toNanos, delay.toNanos, TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS)
-
-  def schedule(f: () ⇒ Unit, initialDelay: Duration, delay: Duration): Cancellable =
-    schedule(f, initialDelay.toNanos, delay.toNanos, TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS)
-
-  def scheduleOnce(receiver: ActorRef, message: Any, delay: Duration): Cancellable =
-    scheduleOnce(receiver, message, delay.length, delay.unit)
-
-  def scheduleOnce(f: () ⇒ Unit, delay: Duration): Cancellable =
-    scheduleOnce(f, delay.length, delay.unit)
+  /**
+   * Schedules a function to be run once with a delay, i.e. a time period that has to pass before the function is run.
+   */
+  def scheduleOnce(f: () ⇒ Unit, delay: Duration): Cancellable
 }
 
 trait Cancellable {
+  /**
+   * Cancels the underlying scheduled task.
+   */
   def cancel(): Unit
 
+  /**
+   * Checks if the underlying scheduled task has been cancelled.
+   */
   def isCancelled: Boolean
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/AbstractDispatcher.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/AbstractDispatcher.scala
index 7998a514f8..208eae51ca 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/AbstractDispatcher.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/AbstractDispatcher.scala
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ abstract class MessageDispatcher(val prerequisites: DispatcherPrerequisites) ext
       shutdownScheduleUpdater.get(this) match {
         case UNSCHEDULED ⇒
           if (shutdownScheduleUpdater.compareAndSet(this, UNSCHEDULED, SCHEDULED)) {
-            scheduler.scheduleOnce(shutdownAction, shutdownTimeout.toMillis, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)
+            scheduler.scheduleOnce(shutdownAction, Duration(shutdownTimeout.toMillis, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
             ()
           } else ifSensibleToDoSoThenScheduleShutdown()
         case SCHEDULED ⇒
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ abstract class MessageDispatcher(val prerequisites: DispatcherPrerequisites) ext
           }
         case RESCHEDULED ⇒
           if (shutdownScheduleUpdater.compareAndSet(MessageDispatcher.this, RESCHEDULED, SCHEDULED))
-            scheduler.scheduleOnce(this, shutdownTimeout.toMillis, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)
+            scheduler.scheduleOnce(this, Duration(shutdownTimeout.toMillis, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS))
           else run()
       }
     }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Future.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Future.scala
index b57ff39512..e9a3035ea8 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Future.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Future.scala
@@ -956,12 +956,12 @@ class DefaultPromise[T](val timeout: Timeout)(implicit val dispatcher: MessageDi
           val runnable = new Runnable {
             def run() {
               if (!isCompleted) {
-                if (!isExpired) dispatcher.prerequisites.scheduler.scheduleOnce(this, timeLeftNoinline(), NANOS)
+                if (!isExpired) dispatcher.prerequisites.scheduler.scheduleOnce(this, Duration(timeLeftNoinline(), TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS))
                 else func(DefaultPromise.this)
               }
             }
           }
-          val timeoutFuture = dispatcher.prerequisites.scheduler.scheduleOnce(runnable, timeLeft(), NANOS)
+          val timeoutFuture = dispatcher.prerequisites.scheduler.scheduleOnce(runnable, Duration(timeLeft(), TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS))
           onComplete(_ ⇒ timeoutFuture.cancel())
           false
         } else true
@@ -983,12 +983,12 @@ class DefaultPromise[T](val timeout: Timeout)(implicit val dispatcher: MessageDi
           val runnable = new Runnable {
             def run() {
               if (!isCompleted) {
-                if (!isExpired) dispatcher.prerequisites.scheduler.scheduleOnce(this, timeLeftNoinline(), NANOS)
+                if (!isExpired) dispatcher.prerequisites.scheduler.scheduleOnce(this, Duration(timeLeftNoinline(), TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS))
                 else promise complete (try { Right(fallback) } catch { case e ⇒ Left(e) })
               }
             }
           }
-          dispatcher.prerequisites.scheduler.scheduleOnce(runnable, timeLeft(), NANOS)
+          dispatcher.prerequisites.scheduler.scheduleOnce(runnable, Duration(timeLeft(), TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS))
           promise
       }
     } else this
diff --git a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Gossiper.scala b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Gossiper.scala
index 5fca79753f..3735f6ceaf 100644
--- a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Gossiper.scala
+++ b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Gossiper.scala
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import akka.actor._
 import akka.actor.Status._
 import akka.event.Logging
 import akka.util.duration._
+import akka.util.Duration
 import akka.remote.RemoteProtocol._
 import akka.remote.RemoteProtocol.RemoteSystemDaemonMessageType._
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference
@@ -122,8 +123,8 @@ class Gossiper(remote: Remote) {
 
   {
     // start periodic gossip and cluster scrutinization - default is run them every second with 1/2 second in between
-    system.scheduler schedule (() ⇒ initateGossip(), initalDelayForGossip.toSeconds, gossipFrequency.toSeconds, timeUnit)
-    system.scheduler schedule (() ⇒ scrutinize(), initalDelayForGossip.toSeconds, gossipFrequency.toSeconds, timeUnit)
+    system.scheduler schedule (() ⇒ initateGossip(), Duration(initalDelayForGossip.toSeconds, timeUnit), Duration(gossipFrequency.toSeconds, timeUnit))
+    system.scheduler schedule (() ⇒ scrutinize(), Duration(initalDelayForGossip.toSeconds, timeUnit), Duration(gossipFrequency.toSeconds, timeUnit))
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Remote.scala b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Remote.scala
index 18df5d1bfc..123304c314 100644
--- a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Remote.scala
+++ b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/Remote.scala
@@ -281,6 +281,8 @@ trait RemoteMarshallingOps {
 
   def system: ActorSystem
 
+  protected def useUntrustedMode: Boolean
+
   def createMessageSendEnvelope(rmp: RemoteMessageProtocol): AkkaRemoteProtocol = {
     val arp = AkkaRemoteProtocol.newBuilder
     arp.setMessage(rmp)
@@ -323,15 +325,15 @@ trait RemoteMarshallingOps {
     messageBuilder
   }
 
-  def receiveMessage(remoteMessage: RemoteMessage, untrustedMode: Boolean) {
+  def receiveMessage(remoteMessage: RemoteMessage) {
     val recipient = remoteMessage.recipient
 
     remoteMessage.payload match {
       case Left(t) ⇒ throw t
       case Right(r) ⇒ r match {
-        case _: Terminate                              ⇒ if (untrustedMode) throw new SecurityException("RemoteModule server is operating is untrusted mode, can not stop the actor") else recipient.stop()
-        case _: AutoReceivedMessage if (untrustedMode) ⇒ throw new SecurityException("RemoteModule server is operating is untrusted mode, can not pass on a AutoReceivedMessage to the remote actor")
-        case m                                         ⇒ recipient.!(m)(remoteMessage.sender)
+        case _: Terminate ⇒ if (useUntrustedMode) throw new SecurityException("RemoteModule server is operating is untrusted mode, can not stop the actor") else recipient.stop()
+        case _: AutoReceivedMessage if (useUntrustedMode) ⇒ throw new SecurityException("RemoteModule server is operating is untrusted mode, can not pass on a AutoReceivedMessage to the remote actor")
+        case m ⇒ recipient.!(m)(remoteMessage.sender)
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/netty/NettyRemoteSupport.scala b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/netty/NettyRemoteSupport.scala
index 4536fa3d09..eedf58fd9e 100644
--- a/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/netty/NettyRemoteSupport.scala
+++ b/akka-remote/src/main/scala/akka/remote/netty/NettyRemoteSupport.scala
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@ abstract class RemoteClient private[akka] (
 }
 
 class PassiveRemoteClient(val currentChannel: Channel,
-                          remoteSupport: NettyRemoteSupport,
-                          remoteAddress: RemoteAddress)
+  remoteSupport: NettyRemoteSupport,
+  remoteAddress: RemoteAddress)
   extends RemoteClient(remoteSupport, remoteAddress) {
 
   def connect(reconnectIfAlreadyConnected: Boolean = false): Boolean = runSwitch switchOn {
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ class ActiveRemoteClientHandler(
           }
 
         case arp: AkkaRemoteProtocol if arp.hasMessage ⇒
-          client.remoteSupport.receiveMessage(new RemoteMessage(arp.getMessage, client.remoteSupport, client.loader), untrustedMode = false) //TODO FIXME Sensible or not?
+          client.remoteSupport.receiveMessage(new RemoteMessage(arp.getMessage, client.remoteSupport, client.loader))
 
         case other ⇒
           throw new RemoteClientException("Unknown message received in remote client handler: " + other, client.remoteSupport, client.remoteAddress)
@@ -364,11 +364,15 @@ class NettyRemoteSupport(_system: ActorSystem) extends RemoteSupport(_system) wi
   private val remoteClients = new HashMap[RemoteAddress, RemoteClient]
   private val clientsLock = new ReentrantReadWriteLock
 
-  protected[akka] def send(message: Any,
-                           senderOption: Option[ActorRef],
-                           recipientAddress: RemoteAddress,
-                           recipient: ActorRef,
-                           loader: Option[ClassLoader]): Unit = {
+  override protected def useUntrustedMode = serverSettings.UntrustedMode
+
+  protected[akka] def send(
+    message: Any,
+    senderOption: Option[ActorRef],
+    recipientAddress: RemoteAddress,
+    recipient: ActorRef,
+    loader: Option[ClassLoader]): Unit = {
+
     clientsLock.readLock.lock
     try {
       val client = remoteClients.get(recipientAddress) match {
@@ -634,7 +638,7 @@ class RemoteServerHandler(
   override def messageReceived(ctx: ChannelHandlerContext, event: MessageEvent) = try {
     event.getMessage match {
       case remote: AkkaRemoteProtocol if remote.hasMessage ⇒
-        remoteSupport.receiveMessage(new RemoteMessage(remote.getMessage, remoteSupport, applicationLoader), UntrustedMode)
+        remoteSupport.receiveMessage(new RemoteMessage(remote.getMessage, remoteSupport, applicationLoader))
 
       case remote: AkkaRemoteProtocol if remote.hasInstruction ⇒
         val instruction = remote.getInstruction
diff --git a/akka-samples/akka-sample-fsm/src/main/scala/DiningHakkersOnBecome.scala b/akka-samples/akka-sample-fsm/src/main/scala/DiningHakkersOnBecome.scala
index 1c86015df4..2c23940c9f 100644
--- a/akka-samples/akka-sample-fsm/src/main/scala/DiningHakkersOnBecome.scala
+++ b/akka-samples/akka-sample-fsm/src/main/scala/DiningHakkersOnBecome.scala
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ package sample.fsm.dining.become
 //http://www.dalnefre.com/wp/2010/08/dining-philosophers-in-humus/
 
 import akka.actor.{ ActorRef, Actor, ActorSystem }
-import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit
+import akka.util.duration._
 
 /*
  * First we define our messages, they basically speak for themselves
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ class Hakker(name: String, left: ActorRef, right: ActorRef) extends Actor {
     case Taken(`chopstickToWaitFor`) ⇒
       println("%s has picked up %s and %s, and starts to eat", name, left.address, right.address)
       become(eating)
-      system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(self, Think, 5, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+      system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(self, Think, 5 seconds)
 
     case Busy(chopstick) ⇒
       become(thinking)
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ class Hakker(name: String, left: ActorRef, right: ActorRef) extends Actor {
       left ! Put(self)
       right ! Put(self)
       println("%s puts down his chopsticks and starts to think", name)
-      system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(self, Eat, 5, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+      system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(self, Eat, 5 seconds)
   }
 
   //All hakkers start in a non-eating state
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ class Hakker(name: String, left: ActorRef, right: ActorRef) extends Actor {
     case Think ⇒
       println("%s starts to think", name)
       become(thinking)
-      system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(self, Eat, 5, TimeUnit.SECONDS)
+      system.scheduler.scheduleOnce(self, Eat, 5 seconds)
   }
 }