diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/main/resources/reference.conf b/akka-cluster/src/main/resources/reference.conf
index e2fe6cc8d1..f9bed30607 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/main/resources/reference.conf
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/main/resources/reference.conf
@@ -100,6 +100,23 @@ akka {
       max-sample-size = 1000
     }
 
+    # Uses JMX and Hyperic SIGAR, if SIGAR is on the classpath.
+    metrics {
+      # Enable or disable metrics collector for load-balancing nodes.
+      enabled = on
+
+      # How often metrics is sampled on a node.
+      metrics-interval = 3s
+
+      # How often a node publishes metrics information.
+      gossip-interval = 3s
+
+      # How quickly the exponential weighting of past data is decayed compared to new data.
+      #   If set to 0 data streaming over time will be turned off.
+      #   Set higher to increase the bias toward newer values
+      rate-of-decay = 10
+    }
+
     # If the tick-duration of the default scheduler is longer than the tick-duration
     # configured here a dedicated scheduler will be used for periodic tasks of the cluster,
     # otherwise the default scheduler is used.
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterDaemon.scala b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterDaemon.scala
index 3d198572c9..a2d88b55ad 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterDaemon.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterDaemon.scala
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import scala.collection.immutable.SortedSet
 import scala.concurrent.util.{ Deadline, Duration }
 import scala.concurrent.util.duration._
 import scala.concurrent.forkjoin.ThreadLocalRandom
-import akka.actor.{ Actor, ActorLogging, ActorRef, Address, Cancellable, Props, ReceiveTimeout, RootActorPath, PoisonPill, Scheduler }
+import akka.actor.{ Actor, ActorLogging, ActorRef, Address, Cancellable, Props, ReceiveTimeout, RootActorPath, Scheduler }
 import akka.actor.Status.Failure
 import akka.event.EventStream
 import akka.pattern.ask
@@ -94,6 +94,8 @@ private[cluster] object InternalClusterAction {
 
   case object ReapUnreachableTick extends Tick
 
+  case object MetricsTick extends Tick
+
   case object LeaderActionsTick extends Tick
 
   case object PublishStatsTick extends Tick
@@ -152,6 +154,8 @@ private[cluster] final class ClusterDaemon(settings: ClusterSettings) extends Ac
     withDispatcher(context.props.dispatcher), name = "core")
   val heartbeat = context.actorOf(Props[ClusterHeartbeatDaemon].
     withDispatcher(context.props.dispatcher), name = "heartbeat")
+  if (settings.MetricsEnabled) context.actorOf(Props[ClusterMetricsCollector].
+    withDispatcher(context.props.dispatcher), name = "metrics")
 
   def receive = {
     case InternalClusterAction.GetClusterCoreRef ⇒ sender ! core
@@ -214,8 +218,8 @@ private[cluster] final class ClusterCoreDaemon extends Actor with ActorLogging {
       self ! LeaderActionsTick
     }
 
-  // start periodic publish of current state
-  private val publishStateTask: Option[Cancellable] =
+  // start periodic publish of current stats
+  private val publishStatsTask: Option[Cancellable] =
     if (PublishStatsInterval == Duration.Zero) None
     else Some(FixedRateTask(scheduler, PeriodicTasksInitialDelay.max(PublishStatsInterval).asInstanceOf[FiniteDuration], PublishStatsInterval) {
       self ! PublishStatsTick
@@ -230,7 +234,7 @@ private[cluster] final class ClusterCoreDaemon extends Actor with ActorLogging {
     heartbeatTask.cancel()
     failureDetectorReaperTask.cancel()
     leaderActionsTask.cancel()
-    publishStateTask foreach { _.cancel() }
+    publishStatsTask foreach { _.cancel() }
   }
 
   def uninitialized: Actor.Receive = {
@@ -875,7 +879,7 @@ private[cluster] final class JoinSeedNodeProcess(seedNodes: IndexedSeq[Address])
     case JoinSeedNode ⇒
       // send InitJoin to all seed nodes (except myself)
       seedNodes.collect {
-        case a if a != selfAddress ⇒ context.system.actorFor(context.parent.path.toStringWithAddress(a))
+        case a if a != selfAddress ⇒ context.actorFor(context.parent.path.toStringWithAddress(a))
       } foreach { _ ! InitJoin }
     case InitJoinAck(address) ⇒
       // first InitJoinAck reply
@@ -904,7 +908,7 @@ private[cluster] final class ClusterCoreSender extends Actor with ActorLogging {
    * Looks up and returns the remote cluster command connection for the specific address.
    */
   private def clusterCoreConnectionFor(address: Address): ActorRef =
-    context.system.actorFor(RootActorPath(address) / "system" / "cluster" / "core")
+    context.actorFor(RootActorPath(address) / "system" / "cluster" / "core")
 
   def receive = {
     case SendClusterMessage(to, msg) ⇒
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterEvent.scala b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterEvent.scala
index 1747df4dbb..3ccf32307b 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterEvent.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterEvent.scala
@@ -88,6 +88,11 @@ object ClusterEvent {
     if (member.status != Removed) throw new IllegalArgumentException("Expected Removed status, got: " + member)
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Current snapshot of cluster member metrics. Published to subscribers.
+   */
+  case class ClusterMetricsChanged(nodes: Set[NodeMetrics]) extends ClusterDomainEvent
+
   /**
    * Cluster convergence state changed.
    */
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterHeartbeat.scala b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterHeartbeat.scala
index a7b4d52daa..b48c9f066b 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterHeartbeat.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterHeartbeat.scala
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ private[cluster] final class ClusterHeartbeatSender extends Actor with ActorLogg
    * Looks up and returns the remote cluster heartbeat connection for the specific address.
    */
   def clusterHeartbeatConnectionFor(address: Address): ActorRef =
-    context.system.actorFor(RootActorPath(address) / "system" / "cluster" / "heartbeat")
+    context.actorFor(RootActorPath(address) / "system" / "cluster" / "heartbeat")
 
   val digester = MessageDigest.getInstance("MD5")
 
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsCollector.scala b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsCollector.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1e0c314f21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsCollector.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,581 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+
+package akka.cluster
+
+import scala.language.postfixOps
+import scala.concurrent.util.duration._
+import scala.concurrent.util.FiniteDuration
+import scala.collection.immutable.{ SortedSet, Map }
+import scala.concurrent.forkjoin.ThreadLocalRandom
+import scala.util.{ Try, Success, Failure }
+import scala.math.ScalaNumber
+import scala.runtime.{ RichLong, RichDouble, RichInt }
+
+import akka.actor._
+import akka.event.LoggingAdapter
+import akka.cluster.MemberStatus.Up
+
+import java.lang.management.{ OperatingSystemMXBean, MemoryMXBean, ManagementFactory }
+import java.lang.reflect.Method
+import java.lang.System.{ currentTimeMillis ⇒ newTimestamp }
+
+/**
+ * This strategy is primarily for load-balancing of nodes. It controls metrics sampling
+ * at a regular frequency, prepares highly variable data for further analysis by other entities,
+ * and publishes the latest cluster metrics data around the node ring to assist in determining
+ * the need to redirect traffic to the least-loaded nodes.
+ *
+ * Metrics sampling is delegated to the [[akka.cluster.MetricsCollector]].
+ *
+ * Calculation of statistical data for each monitored process is delegated to the
+ * [[akka.cluster.DataStream]] for exponential smoothing, with additional decay factor.
+ *
+ * INTERNAL API.
+ *
+ * @author Helena Edelson
+ */
+private[cluster] class ClusterMetricsCollector extends Actor with ActorLogging {
+
+  import InternalClusterAction._
+  import ClusterEvent._
+  import Member.addressOrdering
+  import context.dispatcher
+  val cluster = Cluster(context.system)
+  import cluster.{ selfAddress, scheduler, settings }
+  import settings._
+
+  /**
+   * The node ring gossipped that contains only members that are Up.
+   */
+  var nodes: SortedSet[Address] = SortedSet.empty
+
+  /**
+   * The latest metric values with their statistical data.
+   */
+  var latestGossip: MetricsGossip = MetricsGossip(MetricsRateOfDecay)
+
+  /**
+   * The metrics collector that samples data on the node.
+   */
+  val collector: MetricsCollector = MetricsCollector(selfAddress, log, context.system.asInstanceOf[ExtendedActorSystem].dynamicAccess)
+
+  /**
+   * Start periodic gossip to random nodes in cluster
+   */
+  val gossipTask = FixedRateTask(scheduler, PeriodicTasksInitialDelay.max(MetricsGossipInterval).asInstanceOf[FiniteDuration], MetricsGossipInterval) {
+    self ! GossipTick
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Start periodic metrics collection
+   */
+  val metricsTask = FixedRateTask(scheduler, PeriodicTasksInitialDelay.max(MetricsInterval).asInstanceOf[FiniteDuration], MetricsInterval) {
+    self ! MetricsTick
+  }
+
+  override def preStart(): Unit = {
+    cluster.subscribe(self, classOf[MemberEvent])
+    log.info("Metrics collection has started successfully on node [{}]", selfAddress)
+  }
+
+  def receive = {
+    case GossipTick                 ⇒ gossip()
+    case MetricsTick                ⇒ collect()
+    case state: CurrentClusterState ⇒ receiveState(state)
+    case MemberUp(m)                ⇒ receiveMember(m)
+    case e: MemberEvent             ⇒ removeMember(e)
+    case msg: MetricsGossipEnvelope ⇒ receiveGossip(msg)
+  }
+
+  override def postStop: Unit = {
+    cluster unsubscribe self
+    gossipTask.cancel()
+    metricsTask.cancel()
+    collector.close()
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Adds a member to the node ring.
+   */
+  def receiveMember(member: Member): Unit = nodes += member.address
+
+  /**
+   * Removes a member from the member node ring.
+   */
+  def removeMember(event: MemberEvent): Unit = {
+    nodes -= event.member.address
+    latestGossip = latestGossip remove event.member.address
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Updates the initial node ring for those nodes that are [[akka.cluster.MemberStatus.Up]].
+   */
+  def receiveState(state: CurrentClusterState): Unit = nodes = state.members collect { case m if m.status == Up ⇒ m.address }
+
+  /**
+   * Samples the latest metrics for the node, updates metrics statistics in
+   * [[akka.cluster.MetricsGossip]], and publishes the change to the event bus.
+   *
+   * INTERNAL API
+   *
+   * @see [[akka.cluster.ClusterMetricsCollector.collect( )]]
+   */
+  def collect(): Unit = {
+    latestGossip :+= collector.sample
+    publish()
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Receives changes from peer nodes, merges remote with local gossip nodes, then publishes
+   * changes to the event stream for load balancing router consumption, and gossips to peers.
+   */
+  def receiveGossip(envelope: MetricsGossipEnvelope): Unit = {
+    val remoteGossip = envelope.gossip
+
+    if (remoteGossip != latestGossip) {
+      latestGossip = latestGossip merge remoteGossip
+      publish()
+      gossipTo(envelope.from)
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Gossip to peer nodes.
+   */
+  def gossip(): Unit = selectRandomNode((nodes - selfAddress).toIndexedSeq) foreach gossipTo
+
+  def gossipTo(address: Address): Unit =
+    context.actorFor(self.path.toStringWithAddress(address)) ! MetricsGossipEnvelope(selfAddress, latestGossip)
+
+  def selectRandomNode(addresses: IndexedSeq[Address]): Option[Address] =
+    if (addresses.isEmpty) None else Some(addresses(ThreadLocalRandom.current nextInt addresses.size))
+
+  /**
+   * Publishes to the event stream.
+   */
+  def publish(): Unit = context.system.eventStream publish ClusterMetricsChanged(latestGossip.nodes)
+
+}
+
+/**
+ * INTERNAL API
+ *
+ * @param nodes metrics per node
+ * @author Helena Edelson
+ */
+private[cluster] case class MetricsGossip(rateOfDecay: Int, nodes: Set[NodeMetrics] = Set.empty) {
+
+  /**
+   * Removes nodes if their correlating node ring members are not [[akka.cluster.MemberStatus.Up]]
+   */
+  def remove(node: Address): MetricsGossip = copy(nodes = nodes filterNot (_.address == node))
+
+  /**
+   * Adds new remote [[akka.cluster.NodeMetrics]] and merges existing from a remote gossip.
+   */
+  def merge(remoteGossip: MetricsGossip): MetricsGossip = {
+    val remoteNodes = remoteGossip.nodes.map(n ⇒ n.address -> n).toMap
+    val toMerge = nodeKeys intersect remoteNodes.keySet
+    val onlyInRemote = remoteNodes.keySet -- nodeKeys
+    val onlyInLocal = nodeKeys -- remoteNodes.keySet
+
+    val seen = nodes.collect {
+      case n if toMerge contains n.address     ⇒ n merge remoteNodes(n.address)
+      case n if onlyInLocal contains n.address ⇒ n
+    }
+
+    val unseen = remoteGossip.nodes.collect { case n if onlyInRemote contains n.address ⇒ n }
+
+    copy(nodes = seen ++ unseen)
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Adds new local [[akka.cluster.NodeMetrics]] and initializes the data, or merges an existing.
+   */
+  def :+(data: NodeMetrics): MetricsGossip = {
+    val previous = metricsFor(data)
+    val names = previous map (_.name)
+
+    val (toMerge: Set[Metric], unseen: Set[Metric]) = data.metrics partition (a ⇒ names contains a.name)
+    val initialized = unseen.map(_.initialize(rateOfDecay))
+    val merged = toMerge flatMap (latest ⇒ previous.collect { case peer if latest same peer ⇒ peer :+ latest })
+
+    val refreshed = nodes filterNot (_.address == data.address)
+    copy(nodes = refreshed + data.copy(metrics = initialized ++ merged))
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns a set of [[akka.actor.Address]] for a given node set.
+   */
+  def nodeKeys: Set[Address] = nodes map (_.address)
+
+  /**
+   * Returns metrics for a node if exists.
+   */
+  def metricsFor(node: NodeMetrics): Set[Metric] = nodes flatMap (n ⇒ if (n same node) n.metrics else Set.empty[Metric])
+
+}
+
+/**
+ * Envelope adding a sender address to the gossip.
+ * INTERNAL API
+ */
+private[cluster] case class MetricsGossipEnvelope(from: Address, gossip: MetricsGossip) extends ClusterMessage
+
+/**
+ * The exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) approach captures short-term
+ * movements in volatility for a conditional volatility forecasting model. By virtue
+ * of its alpha, or decay factor, this provides a statistical streaming data model
+ * that is exponentially biased towards newer entries.
+ *
+ * An EWMA only needs the most recent forecast value to be kept, as opposed to a standard
+ * moving average model.
+ *
+ * INTERNAL API
+ *
+ * @param decay sets how quickly the exponential weighting decays for past data compared to new data
+ *
+ * @param ewma the current exponentially weighted moving average, e.g. Y(n - 1), or,
+ *             the sampled value resulting from the previous smoothing iteration.
+ *             This value is always used as the previous EWMA to calculate the new EWMA.
+ *
+ * @param timestamp the most recent time of sampling
+ *
+ * @param startTime the time of initial sampling for this data stream
+ *
+ * @author Helena Edelson
+ */
+private[cluster] case class DataStream(decay: Int, ewma: ScalaNumber, startTime: Long, timestamp: Long)
+  extends ClusterMessage with MetricNumericConverter {
+
+  /**
+   * The rate at which the weights of past observations
+   * decay as they become more distant.
+   */
+  private val α = 2 / decay + 1
+
+  /**
+   * Calculates the exponentially weighted moving average for a given monitored data set.
+   * The datam can be too large to fit into an int or long, thus we use ScalaNumber,
+   * and defer to BigInt or BigDecimal.
+   *
+   * @param xn the new data point
+   * @return an new [[akka.cluster.DataStream]] with the updated yn and timestamp
+   */
+  def :+(xn: ScalaNumber): DataStream = convert(xn) fold (
+    nl ⇒ copy(ewma = BigInt(α * nl + 1 - α * ewma.longValue()), timestamp = newTimestamp),
+    nd ⇒ copy(ewma = BigDecimal(α * nd + 1 - α * ewma.doubleValue()), timestamp = newTimestamp))
+
+  /**
+   * The duration of observation for this data stream
+   */
+  def duration: FiniteDuration = (timestamp - startTime) millis
+
+}
+
+/**
+ * Companion object of DataStream class.
+ *
+ * @author Helena Edelson
+ */
+private[cluster] object DataStream {
+
+  def apply(decay: Int, data: ScalaNumber): Option[DataStream] = if (decay > 0)
+    Some(DataStream(decay, data, newTimestamp, newTimestamp)) else None
+
+}
+
+/**
+ * INTERNAL API
+ *
+ * @param name the metric name
+ *
+ * @param value the metric value, which may or may not be defined
+ *
+ * @param average the data stream of the metric value, for trending over time. Metrics that are already
+ *                averages (e.g. system load average) or finite (e.g. as total cores), are not trended.
+ *
+ * @author Helena Edelson
+ */
+private[cluster] case class Metric(name: String, value: Option[ScalaNumber], average: Option[DataStream])
+  extends ClusterMessage with MetricNumericConverter {
+
+  /**
+   * Returns the metric with a new data stream for data trending if eligible,
+   * otherwise returns the unchanged metric.
+   */
+  def initialize(decay: Int): Metric = if (initializable) copy(average = DataStream(decay, value.get)) else this
+
+  /**
+   * If defined ( [[akka.cluster.MetricNumericConverter.defined()]] ), updates the new
+   * data point, and if defined, updates the data stream. Returns the updated metric.
+   */
+  def :+(latest: Metric): Metric = latest.value match {
+    case Some(v) if this same latest ⇒ average match {
+      case Some(previous)                    ⇒ copy(value = Some(v), average = Some(previous :+ v))
+      case None if latest.average.isDefined  ⇒ copy(value = Some(v), average = latest.average)
+      case None if !latest.average.isDefined ⇒ copy(value = Some(v))
+    }
+    case None ⇒ this
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @see [[akka.cluster.MetricNumericConverter.defined()]]
+   */
+  def isDefined: Boolean = value match {
+    case Some(a) ⇒ defined(a)
+    case None    ⇒ false
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns true if <code>that</code> is tracking the same metric as this.
+   */
+  def same(that: Metric): Boolean = name == that.name
+
+  /**
+   * Returns true if the metric requires initialization.
+   */
+  def initializable: Boolean = trendable && isDefined && average.isEmpty
+
+  /**
+   * Returns true if the metric is a value applicable for trending.
+   */
+  def trendable: Boolean = !(Metric.noStream contains name)
+
+}
+
+/**
+ * Companion object of Metric class.
+ *
+ * @author Helena Edelson
+ */
+private[cluster] object Metric extends MetricNumericConverter {
+
+  /**
+   * The metrics that are already averages or finite are not trended over time.
+   */
+  private val noStream = Set("system-load-average", "total-cores", "processors")
+
+  /**
+   * Evaluates validity of <code>value</code> based on whether it is available (SIGAR on classpath)
+   * or defined for the OS (JMX). If undefined we set the value option to None and do not modify
+   * the latest sampled metric to avoid skewing the statistical trend.
+   */
+  def apply(name: String, value: Option[ScalaNumber]): Metric = value match {
+    case Some(v) if defined(v) ⇒ Metric(name, value, None)
+    case _                     ⇒ Metric(name, None, None)
+  }
+
+}
+
+/**
+ * The snapshot of current sampled health metrics for any monitored process.
+ * Collected and gossipped at regular intervals for dynamic cluster management strategies.
+ *
+ * For the JVM memory. The amount of used and committed memory will always be <= max if max is defined.
+ * A memory allocation may fail if it attempts to increase the used memory such that used > committed
+ * even if used <= max is true (e.g. when the system virtual memory is low).
+ *
+ * The system is possibly nearing a bottleneck if the system load average is nearing in cpus/cores.
+ *
+ * @param address [[akka.actor.Address]] of the node the metrics are gathered at
+ *
+ * @param timestamp the time of sampling
+ *
+ * @param metrics the array of sampled [[akka.actor.Metric]]
+ *
+ * @author Helena Edelson
+ */
+private[cluster] case class NodeMetrics(address: Address, timestamp: Long, metrics: Set[Metric] = Set.empty[Metric]) extends ClusterMessage {
+
+  /**
+   * Returns the most recent data.
+   */
+  def merge(that: NodeMetrics): NodeMetrics = if (this updatable that) copy(metrics = that.metrics, timestamp = that.timestamp) else this
+
+  /**
+   * Returns true if <code>that</code> address is the same as this and its metric set is more recent.
+   */
+  def updatable(that: NodeMetrics): Boolean = (this same that) && (that.timestamp > timestamp)
+
+  /**
+   * Returns true if <code>that</code> address is the same as this
+   */
+  def same(that: NodeMetrics): Boolean = address == that.address
+
+}
+
+/**
+ * Encapsulates evaluation of validity of metric values, conversion of an actual metric value to
+ * a [[akka.cluster.Metric]] for consumption by subscribed cluster entities.
+ *
+ * INTERNAL API
+ *
+ * @author Helena Edelson
+ */
+private[cluster] trait MetricNumericConverter {
+
+  /**
+   * A defined value is neither a -1 or NaN/Infinite:
+   * <ul><li>JMX system load average and max heap can be 'undefined' for certain OS, in which case a -1 is returned</li>
+   * <li>SIGAR combined CPU can occasionally return a NaN or Infinite (known bug)</li></ul>
+   */
+  def defined(value: ScalaNumber): Boolean = convert(value) fold (a ⇒ value != -1, b ⇒ !(b.isNaN || b.isInfinite))
+
+  /**
+   * May involve rounding or truncation.
+   */
+  def convert(from: ScalaNumber): Either[Long, Double] = from match {
+    case n: BigInt     ⇒ Left(n.longValue())
+    case n: BigDecimal ⇒ Right(n.doubleValue())
+    case n: RichInt    ⇒ Left(n.abs)
+    case n: RichLong   ⇒ Left(n.self)
+    case n: RichDouble ⇒ Right(n.self)
+  }
+
+}
+
+/**
+ * Loads JVM metrics through JMX monitoring beans. If Hyperic SIGAR is on the classpath, this
+ * loads wider and more accurate range of metrics in combination with SIGAR's native OS library.
+ *
+ * FIXME switch to Scala reflection
+ *
+ * INTERNAL API
+ *
+ * @param sigar the optional org.hyperic.Sigar instance
+ *
+ * @param address The [[akka.actor.Address]] of the node being sampled
+ *
+ * @author Helena Edelson
+ */
+private[cluster] class MetricsCollector private (private val sigar: Option[AnyRef], address: Address) extends MetricNumericConverter {
+
+  private val memoryMBean: MemoryMXBean = ManagementFactory.getMemoryMXBean
+
+  private val osMBean: OperatingSystemMXBean = ManagementFactory.getOperatingSystemMXBean
+
+  private val LoadAverage: Option[Method] = createMethodFrom(sigar, "getLoadAverage")
+
+  private val CpuList: Option[Method] = createMethodFrom(sigar, "getCpuInfoList").map(m ⇒ m)
+
+  private val NetInterfaces: Option[Method] = createMethodFrom(sigar, "getNetInterfaceList")
+
+  private val Cpu: Option[Method] = createMethodFrom(sigar, "getCpuPerc")
+
+  private val CombinedCpu: Option[Method] = Try(Cpu.get.getReturnType.getMethod("getCombined")).toOption
+
+  /**
+   * Samples and collects new data points.
+   *
+   * @return [[akka.cluster.NodeMetrics]]
+   */
+  def sample: NodeMetrics = NodeMetrics(address, newTimestamp, Set(cpuCombined, totalCores,
+    systemLoadAverage, used, committed, max, processors, networkMaxRx, networkMaxTx))
+
+  /**
+   * (SIGAR / JMX) Returns the OS-specific average system load on the CPUs in the system, for the past 1 minute.
+   * On some systems the JMX OS system load average may not be available, in which case a -1 is returned.
+   * Hyperic SIGAR provides more precise values, thus, if the library is on the classpath, it is the default.
+   */
+  def systemLoadAverage: Metric = Metric("system-load-average", Some(BigDecimal(Try(
+    LoadAverage.get.invoke(sigar.get).asInstanceOf[Array[Double]].toSeq.head) getOrElse osMBean.getSystemLoadAverage)))
+
+  /**
+   * (JMX) Returns the number of available processors
+   */
+  def processors: Metric = Metric("processors", Some(BigInt(osMBean.getAvailableProcessors)))
+
+  /**
+   * (JMX) Returns the current sum of heap memory used from all heap memory pools (in bytes).
+   */
+  def used: Metric = Metric("heap-memory-used", Some(BigInt(memoryMBean.getHeapMemoryUsage.getUsed)))
+
+  /**
+   * (JMX) Returns the current sum of heap memory guaranteed to be available to the JVM
+   * from all heap memory pools (in bytes). Committed will always be greater
+   * than or equal to used.
+   */
+  def committed: Metric = Metric("heap-memory-committed", Some(BigInt(memoryMBean.getHeapMemoryUsage.getCommitted)))
+
+  /**
+   * (JMX) Returns the maximum amount of memory (in bytes) that can be used
+   * for JVM memory management. If undefined, returns -1.
+   */
+  def max: Metric = Metric("heap-memory-max", Some(BigInt(memoryMBean.getHeapMemoryUsage.getMax)))
+
+  /**
+   * (SIGAR) Returns the combined CPU sum of User + Sys + Nice + Wait, in percentage. This metric can describe
+   * the amount of time the CPU spent executing code during n-interval and how much more it could
+   * theoretically. Note that 99% CPU utilization can be optimal or indicative of failure.
+   *
+   * In the data stream, this will sometimes return with a valid metric value, and sometimes as a NaN or Infinite.
+   * Documented bug https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=749121 and several others.
+   */
+  def cpuCombined: Metric = Metric("cpu-combined", Try(BigDecimal(CombinedCpu.get.invoke(Cpu.get.invoke(sigar.get)).asInstanceOf[Double])).toOption)
+
+  /**
+   * (SIGAR) Returns the total number of cores.
+   */
+  def totalCores: Metric = Metric("total-cores", Try(BigInt(CpuList.get.invoke(sigar.get).asInstanceOf[Array[AnyRef]].map(cpu ⇒
+    createMethodFrom(Some(cpu), "getTotalCores").get.invoke(cpu).asInstanceOf[Int]).head)).toOption)
+  //Array[Int].head - if this would differ on some servers, expose all. In testing each int was always equal.
+
+  /**
+   * (SIGAR) Returns the max network IO read/write value, in bytes, for network latency evaluation.
+   */
+  def networkMaxRx: Metric = networkMaxFor("getRxBytes", "network-max-rx")
+
+  /**
+   * (SIGAR) Returns the max network IO tx value, in bytes.
+   */
+  def networkMaxTx: Metric = networkMaxFor("getTxBytes", "network-max-tx")
+
+  /**
+   * Returns the network stats per interface.
+   */
+  def networkStats: Map[String, AnyRef] = Try(NetInterfaces.get.invoke(sigar.get).asInstanceOf[Array[String]].map(arg ⇒
+    arg -> (createMethodFrom(sigar, "getNetInterfaceStat", Array(classOf[String])).get.invoke(sigar.get, arg))).toMap) getOrElse Map.empty[String, AnyRef]
+
+  /**
+   * Returns true if SIGAR is successfully installed on the classpath, otherwise false.
+   */
+  def isSigar: Boolean = sigar.isDefined
+
+  /**
+   * Releases any native resources associated with this instance.
+   */
+  def close(): Unit = if (isSigar) Try(createMethodFrom(sigar, "close").get.invoke(sigar.get)) getOrElse Unit
+
+  /**
+   * Returns the max bytes for the given <code>method</code> in metric for <code>metric</code> from the network interface stats.
+   */
+  private def networkMaxFor(method: String, metric: String): Metric = Metric(metric, Try(Some(BigInt(
+    networkStats.collect { case (_, a) ⇒ createMethodFrom(Some(a), method).get.invoke(a).asInstanceOf[Long] }.max))) getOrElse None)
+
+  private def createMethodFrom(ref: Option[AnyRef], method: String, types: Array[(Class[_])] = Array.empty[(Class[_])]): Option[Method] =
+    Try(ref.get.getClass.getMethod(method, types: _*)).toOption
+
+}
+
+/**
+ * Companion object of MetricsCollector class.
+ *
+ * @author Helena Edelson
+ */
+private[cluster] object MetricsCollector {
+  def apply(address: Address, log: LoggingAdapter, dynamicAccess: DynamicAccess): MetricsCollector =
+    dynamicAccess.createInstanceFor[AnyRef]("org.hyperic.sigar.Sigar", Seq.empty) match {
+      case Success(identity) ⇒ new MetricsCollector(Some(identity), address)
+      case Failure(e) ⇒
+        log.debug(e.toString)
+        log.info("Hyperic SIGAR was not found on the classpath or not installed properly. " +
+          "Metrics will be retreived from MBeans, and may be incorrect on some platforms. " +
+          "To increase metric accuracy add the 'sigar.jar' to the classpath and the appropriate" +
+          "platform-specific native libary to 'java.library.path'.")
+        new MetricsCollector(None, address)
+    }
+}
+
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterReadView.scala b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterReadView.scala
index 0aa9e6997e..5920ac3dca 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterReadView.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterReadView.scala
@@ -30,6 +30,12 @@ private[akka] class ClusterReadView(cluster: Cluster) extends Closeable {
   @volatile
   private var _latestStats = ClusterStats()
 
+  /**
+   * Current cluster metrics, updated periodically via event bus.
+   */
+  @volatile
+  private var _clusterMetrics: Set[NodeMetrics] = Set.empty
+
   val selfAddress = cluster.selfAddress
 
   // create actor that subscribes to the cluster eventBus to update current read view state
@@ -56,6 +62,7 @@ private[akka] class ClusterReadView(cluster: Cluster) extends Closeable {
         case ConvergenceChanged(convergence) ⇒ state = state.copy(convergence = convergence)
         case s: CurrentClusterState          ⇒ state = s
         case CurrentInternalStats(stats)     ⇒ _latestStats = stats
+        case ClusterMetricsChanged(nodes)    ⇒ _clusterMetrics = nodes
         case _                               ⇒ // ignore, not interesting
       }
     }).withDispatcher(cluster.settings.UseDispatcher), name = "clusterEventBusListener")
@@ -118,6 +125,11 @@ private[akka] class ClusterReadView(cluster: Cluster) extends Closeable {
     !unreachableMembers.contains(myself) && !myself.status.isUnavailable
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Current cluster metrics.
+   */
+  def clusterMetrics: Set[NodeMetrics] = _clusterMetrics
+
   /**
    * INTERNAL API
    * The nodes that has seen current version of the Gossip.
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterSettings.scala b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterSettings.scala
index 3c7baa4f76..6110df034a 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterSettings.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterSettings.scala
@@ -50,6 +50,10 @@ class ClusterSettings(val config: Config, val systemName: String) {
     maxFailures = getInt("akka.cluster.send-circuit-breaker.max-failures"),
     callTimeout = Duration(getMilliseconds("akka.cluster.send-circuit-breaker.call-timeout"), MILLISECONDS),
     resetTimeout = Duration(getMilliseconds("akka.cluster.send-circuit-breaker.reset-timeout"), MILLISECONDS))
+  final val MetricsEnabled: Boolean = getBoolean("akka.cluster.metrics.enabled")
+  final val MetricsInterval: FiniteDuration = Duration(getMilliseconds("akka.cluster.metrics.metrics-interval"), MILLISECONDS)
+  final val MetricsGossipInterval: FiniteDuration = Duration(getMilliseconds("akka.cluster.metrics.gossip-interval"), MILLISECONDS)
+  final val MetricsRateOfDecay: Int = getInt("akka.cluster.metrics.rate-of-decay")
 }
 
 case class CircuitBreakerSettings(maxFailures: Int, callTimeout: FiniteDuration, resetTimeout: FiniteDuration)
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsDataStreamingOffSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsDataStreamingOffSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..efc2ce51fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsDataStreamingOffSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+
+package akka.cluster
+
+import scala.language.postfixOps
+import scala.concurrent.util.duration._
+import akka.remote.testkit.{MultiNodeSpec, MultiNodeConfig}
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
+import akka.testkit.LongRunningTest
+
+
+object ClusterMetricsDataStreamingOffMultiJvmSpec extends MultiNodeConfig {
+  val first = role("first")
+  val second = role("second")
+  commonConfig(ConfigFactory.parseString("akka.cluster.metrics.rate-of-decay = 0")
+    .withFallback(MultiNodeClusterSpec.clusterConfigWithFailureDetectorPuppet))
+}
+class ClusterMetricsDataStreamingMultiJvmNode1 extends ClusterMetricsDataStreamingOffSpec
+class ClusterMetricsDataStreamingMultiJvmNode2 extends ClusterMetricsDataStreamingOffSpec
+
+abstract class ClusterMetricsDataStreamingOffSpec extends MultiNodeSpec(ClusterMetricsDataStreamingOffMultiJvmSpec) with MultiNodeClusterSpec with MetricSpec {
+  "Cluster metrics" must {
+    "not collect stream metric data" taggedAs LongRunningTest in within(30 seconds) {
+      awaitClusterUp(roles: _*)
+      enterBarrier("cluster-started")
+      runOn(roles: _*) {
+        awaitCond(clusterView.members.filter(_.status == MemberStatus.Up).size == roles.size)
+        awaitCond(clusterView.clusterMetrics.size == roles.size)
+        awaitCond(clusterView.clusterMetrics.flatMap(_.metrics).filter(_.trendable).forall(_.average.isEmpty))
+      }
+      enterBarrier("after")
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsDisabledSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsDisabledSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1216759a5a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsDisabledSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+
+package akka.cluster
+
+import akka.remote.testkit.{MultiNodeSpec, MultiNodeConfig}
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
+import akka.testkit.LongRunningTest
+
+object ClusterMetricsDisabledMultiJvmSpec extends MultiNodeConfig {
+  val first = role("first")
+  val second = role("second")
+  commonConfig(ConfigFactory.parseString("akka.cluster.metrics.enabled = off")
+    .withFallback(MultiNodeClusterSpec.clusterConfigWithFailureDetectorPuppet))
+}
+
+class ClusterMetricsDisabledMultiJvmNode1 extends ClusterMetricsDisabledSpec
+class ClusterMetricsDisabledMultiJvmNode2 extends ClusterMetricsDisabledSpec
+
+abstract class ClusterMetricsDisabledSpec extends MultiNodeSpec(ClusterMetricsDisabledMultiJvmSpec) with MultiNodeClusterSpec {
+  "Cluster metrics" must {
+    "not collect metrics, not publish ClusterMetricsChanged, and not gossip metrics" taggedAs LongRunningTest in {
+      awaitClusterUp(roles: _*)
+      enterBarrier("cluster-started")
+      runOn(roles: _*) {
+        awaitCond(clusterView.members.filter(_.status == MemberStatus.Up).size == roles.size)
+        awaitCond(clusterView.clusterMetrics.isEmpty)
+      }
+      enterBarrier("after")
+    }
+  }
+}
+
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d494f71336
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterMetricsSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+
+package akka.cluster
+
+import scala.language.postfixOps
+import scala.concurrent.util.duration._
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
+import akka.remote.testkit.MultiNodeConfig
+import akka.remote.testkit.MultiNodeSpec
+import akka.testkit._
+import akka.actor.ExtendedActorSystem
+
+object ClusterMetricsMultiJvmSpec extends MultiNodeConfig {
+  val first = role("first")
+  val second = role("second")
+  val third = role("third")
+  val fourth = role("fourth")
+  val fifth = role("fifth")
+
+  commonConfig(ConfigFactory.parseString("""
+    akka.cluster.auto-join = on
+    akka.cluster.metrics.enabled = on
+    akka.cluster.metrics.metrics-interval = 3 s
+    akka.cluster.metrics.gossip-interval = 3 s
+    akka.cluster.metrics.rate-of-decay = 10
+    akka.loglevel = INFO
+    akka.remote.log-sent-messages = off
+    akka.remote.log-received-messages = off
+    akka.actor.debug.receive = off
+    akka.actor.debug.unhandled = off
+    akka.actor.debug.lifecycle = off
+    akka.actor.debug.autoreceive = off
+    akka.actor.debug.fsm = off""")
+    .withFallback(MultiNodeClusterSpec.clusterConfigWithFailureDetectorPuppet))
+}
+
+class ClusterMetricsMultiJvmNode1 extends ClusterMetricsSpec
+class ClusterMetricsMultiJvmNode2 extends ClusterMetricsSpec
+class ClusterMetricsMultiJvmNode3 extends ClusterMetricsSpec
+class ClusterMetricsMultiJvmNode4 extends ClusterMetricsSpec
+class ClusterMetricsMultiJvmNode5 extends ClusterMetricsSpec
+
+abstract class ClusterMetricsSpec extends MultiNodeSpec(ClusterMetricsMultiJvmSpec) with MultiNodeClusterSpec with MetricSpec {
+  import ClusterMetricsMultiJvmSpec._
+
+  val collector = MetricsCollector(cluster.selfAddress, log, system.asInstanceOf[ExtendedActorSystem].dynamicAccess)
+
+  "Cluster metrics" must {
+    "periodically collect metrics on each node, publish ClusterMetricsChanged to the event stream, " +
+      "and gossip metrics around the node ring" taggedAs LongRunningTest in within(60 seconds) {
+      awaitClusterUp(roles: _*)
+      enterBarrier("cluster-started")
+      runOn(roles: _*) {
+        awaitCond(clusterView.members.filter(_.status == MemberStatus.Up).size == roles.size)
+        awaitCond(clusterView.clusterMetrics.size == roles.size)
+        assertInitialized(cluster.settings.MetricsRateOfDecay, collectNodeMetrics(clusterView.clusterMetrics).toSet)
+        clusterView.clusterMetrics.foreach(n => assertExpectedSampleSize(collector.isSigar, cluster.settings.MetricsRateOfDecay, n))
+      }
+      enterBarrier("after")
+    }
+    "reflect the correct number of node metrics in cluster view" taggedAs LongRunningTest in within(30 seconds) {
+      runOn(second) {
+        cluster.leave(first)
+      }
+      enterBarrier("first-left")
+      runOn(second, third, fourth, fifth) {
+        awaitCond(clusterView.clusterMetrics.size == (roles.size - 1))
+      }
+      enterBarrier("finished")
+    }
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterConfigSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterConfigSpec.scala
index f8c5571a57..be5ae74e4d 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterConfigSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/ClusterConfigSpec.scala
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ class ClusterConfigSpec extends AkkaSpec {
         maxFailures = 3,
         callTimeout = 2 seconds,
         resetTimeout = 30 seconds))
+      MetricsEnabled must be(true)
+      MetricsInterval must be(3 seconds)
+      MetricsGossipInterval must be(3 seconds)
+      MetricsRateOfDecay must be(10)
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/DataStreamSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/DataStreamSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2f2ccaa2ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/DataStreamSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+
+package akka.cluster
+
+import language.postfixOps
+import scala.concurrent.util.duration._
+
+import akka.testkit.{ LongRunningTest, AkkaSpec }
+
+@org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
+class DataStreamSpec extends AkkaSpec(MetricsEnabledSpec.config) with AbstractClusterMetricsSpec with MetricNumericConverter {
+  import system.dispatcher
+
+  val collector = createMetricsCollector
+  val DefaultRateOfDecay = 10
+
+  "DataStream" must {
+
+    "calculate the ewma for multiple, variable, data streams" taggedAs LongRunningTest in {
+      val firstDataSet = collector.sample.metrics.collect { case m if m.trendable && m.isDefined ⇒ m.initialize(DefaultRateOfDecay) }
+      var streamingDataSet = firstDataSet
+
+      val cancellable = system.scheduler.schedule(0 seconds, 100 millis) {
+        streamingDataSet = collector.sample.metrics.flatMap(latest ⇒ streamingDataSet.collect {
+          case streaming if (latest.trendable && latest.isDefined) && (latest same streaming)
+            && (latest.value.get != streaming.value.get) ⇒ {
+            val updatedDataStream = streaming.average.get :+ latest.value.get
+            updatedDataStream.timestamp must be > (streaming.average.get.timestamp)
+            updatedDataStream.duration.length must be > (streaming.average.get.duration.length)
+            updatedDataStream.ewma must not be (streaming.average.get.ewma)
+            updatedDataStream.ewma must not be (latest.value.get)
+            streaming.copy(value = latest.value, average = Some(updatedDataStream))
+          }
+        })
+      }
+      awaitCond(firstDataSet.size == streamingDataSet.size, longDuration)
+      cancellable.cancel()
+
+      val finalDataSet = streamingDataSet.map(m ⇒ m.name -> m).toMap
+      firstDataSet map {
+        first ⇒
+          val newMetric = finalDataSet(first.name)
+          val e1 = first.average.get
+          val e2 = newMetric.average.get
+
+          if (first.value.get != newMetric.value.get) {
+            e2.ewma must not be (first.value.get)
+            e2.ewma must not be (newMetric.value.get)
+          }
+          if (first.value.get.longValue > newMetric.value.get.longValue) e1.ewma.longValue must be > e2.ewma.longValue
+          else if (first.value.get.longValue < newMetric.value.get.longValue) e1.ewma.longValue must be < e2.ewma.longValue
+      }
+    }
+
+    "data streaming is disabled if the decay is set to 0" in {
+      val data = collector.sample.metrics map (_.initialize(0))
+      data foreach (_.average.isEmpty must be(true))
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/MetricNumericConverterSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/MetricNumericConverterSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1f23da769c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/MetricNumericConverterSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+
+package akka.cluster
+
+import akka.testkit.{ ImplicitSender, AkkaSpec }
+
+@org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
+class MetricNumericConverterSpec extends AkkaSpec(MetricsEnabledSpec.config) with MetricNumericConverter with ImplicitSender with AbstractClusterMetricsSpec {
+
+  "MetricNumericConverter" must {
+    val collector = createMetricsCollector
+
+    "convert " in {
+      convert(0).isLeft must be(true)
+      convert(1).left.get must be(1)
+      convert(1L).isLeft must be(true)
+      convert(0.0).isRight must be(true)
+    }
+
+    "define a new metric" in {
+      val metric = Metric("heap-memory-used", Some(0L))
+      metric.initializable must be(true)
+      metric.name must not be (null)
+      metric.average.isEmpty must be(true)
+      metric.trendable must be(true)
+
+      if (collector.isSigar) {
+        val cores = collector.totalCores
+        cores.isDefined must be(true)
+        cores.value.get.intValue must be > (0)
+        cores.initializable must be(false)
+      }
+    }
+
+    "define an undefined value with a None " in {
+      Metric("x", Some(-1)).value.isDefined must be(false)
+      Metric("x", Some(java.lang.Double.NaN)).value.isDefined must be(false)
+      Metric("x", None).isDefined must be(false)
+    }
+
+    "recognize whether a metric value is defined" in {
+      defined(0) must be(true)
+      defined(0.0) must be(true)
+    }
+
+    "recognize whether a metric value is not defined" in {
+      defined(-1) must be(false)
+      defined(Double.NaN) must be(false)
+    }
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/MetricsCollectorSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/MetricsCollectorSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..867b085f8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/MetricsCollectorSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,240 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+
+package akka.cluster
+
+import scala.language.postfixOps
+import scala.concurrent.util.duration._
+import scala.concurrent.util.FiniteDuration
+import scala.concurrent.Await
+import scala.util.{ Try, Failure }
+
+import akka.actor._
+import akka.testkit._
+import org.scalatest.WordSpec
+import org.scalatest.matchers.MustMatchers
+
+object MetricsEnabledSpec {
+  val config = """
+    akka.cluster.metrics.enabled = on
+    akka.cluster.metrics.metrics-interval = 1 s
+    akka.cluster.metrics.gossip-interval = 1 s
+    akka.cluster.metrics.rate-of-decay = 10
+    akka.actor.provider = "akka.remote.RemoteActorRefProvider"
+    akka.loglevel = INFO"""
+}
+
+@org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
+class MetricsCollectorSpec extends AkkaSpec(MetricsEnabledSpec.config) with ImplicitSender with AbstractClusterMetricsSpec with MetricSpec {
+  import system.dispatcher
+
+  val collector = createMetricsCollector
+
+  "Metric must" must {
+    "create and initialize a new metric or merge an existing one" in {
+      for (i ← 0 to samples) {
+        val metrics = collector.sample.metrics
+        assertCreatedUninitialized(metrics)
+        assertInitialized(window, metrics map (_.initialize(window)))
+      }
+    }
+
+    "merge 2 metrics that are tracking the same metric" in {
+      for (i ← 0 to samples) {
+        val sample1 = collector.sample.metrics
+        val sample2 = collector.sample.metrics
+        var merged = sample2 flatMap (latest ⇒ sample1 collect {
+          case peer if latest same peer ⇒ {
+            val m = peer :+ latest
+            assertMerged(latest, peer, m)
+            m
+          }
+        })
+
+        val sample3 = collector.sample.metrics map (_.initialize(window))
+        val sample4 = collector.sample.metrics map (_.initialize(window))
+        merged = sample4 flatMap (latest ⇒ sample3 collect {
+          case peer if latest same peer ⇒ {
+            val m = peer :+ latest
+            assertMerged(latest, peer, m)
+            m
+          }
+        })
+        merged.size must be(sample3.size)
+        merged.size must be(sample4.size)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  "MetricsCollector" must {
+
+    "not raise errors when attempting reflective code in apply" in {
+      Try(createMetricsCollector must not be null) match {
+        case Failure(e) ⇒ fail("No error should have been raised creating 'createMetricsCollector'.")
+        case _          ⇒ //
+      }
+    }
+
+    "collect accurate metrics for a node" in {
+      val sample = collector.sample
+      assertExpectedSampleSize(collector.isSigar, window, sample)
+      val metrics = sample.metrics.collect { case m if m.isDefined ⇒ (m.name, m.value.get) }
+      val used = metrics collectFirst { case (a, b) if a == "heap-memory-used" ⇒ b }
+      val committed = metrics collectFirst { case (a, b) if a == "heap-memory-committed" ⇒ b }
+      metrics collect {
+        case (a, b) if a == "cpu-combined" ⇒
+          b.doubleValue must be <= (1.0)
+          b.doubleValue must be >= (0.0)
+          b
+        case (a, b) if a == "total-cores"           ⇒ b.intValue must be > (0); b
+        case (a, b) if a == "network-max-rx"        ⇒ b.longValue must be > (0L); b
+        case (a, b) if a == "network-max-tx"        ⇒ b.longValue must be > (0L); b
+        case (a, b) if a == "system-load-average"   ⇒ b.doubleValue must be >= (0.0); b
+        case (a, b) if a == "processors"            ⇒ b.intValue must be >= (0); b
+        case (a, b) if a == "heap-memory-used"      ⇒ b.longValue must be >= (0L); b
+        case (a, b) if a == "heap-memory-committed" ⇒ b.longValue must be > (0L); b
+        case (a, b) if a == "heap-memory-max" ⇒
+          used.get.longValue must be < (b.longValue)
+          committed.get.longValue must be < (b.longValue)
+          used.get.longValue + committed.get.longValue must be <= (b.longValue)
+          b
+      }
+    }
+
+    "collect SIGAR metrics if it is on the classpath" in {
+      if (collector.isSigar) {
+        // combined cpu may or may not be defined on a given sampling
+        // systemLoadAverage is SIGAR present
+        collector.systemLoadAverage.isDefined must be(true)
+        collector.networkStats.nonEmpty must be(true)
+        collector.networkMaxRx.isDefined must be(true)
+        collector.networkMaxTx.isDefined must be(true)
+        collector.totalCores.isDefined must be(true)
+      }
+    }
+
+    "collect JMX metrics" in {
+      // heap max may be undefined depending on the OS
+      // systemLoadAverage is JMX is SIGAR not present
+      collector.systemLoadAverage.isDefined must be(true)
+      collector.used.isDefined must be(true)
+      collector.committed.isDefined must be(true)
+      collector.processors.isDefined must be(true)
+    }
+
+    "collect [" + samples + "] node metrics samples in an acceptable duration" taggedAs LongRunningTest in {
+      val latch = TestLatch(samples)
+      val task = FixedRateTask(system.scheduler, 0 seconds, interval) {
+        val sample = collector.sample
+        assertCreatedUninitialized(sample.metrics)
+        assertExpectedSampleSize(collector.isSigar, window, sample)
+        latch.countDown()
+      }
+      Await.ready(latch, longDuration)
+      task.cancel()
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+trait MetricSpec extends WordSpec with MustMatchers {
+
+  def assertMasterMetricsAgainstGossipMetrics(master: Set[NodeMetrics], gossip: MetricsGossip): Unit = {
+    val masterMetrics = collectNodeMetrics(master)
+    val gossipMetrics = collectNodeMetrics(gossip.nodes)
+    gossipMetrics.size must be(masterMetrics.size plusOrMinus 1) // combined cpu
+  }
+
+  def assertExpectedNodeAddresses(gossip: MetricsGossip, nodes: Set[NodeMetrics]): Unit =
+    gossip.nodes.map(_.address) must be(nodes.map(_.address))
+
+  def assertExpectedSampleSize(isSigar: Boolean, gossip: MetricsGossip): Unit =
+    gossip.nodes.foreach(n ⇒ assertExpectedSampleSize(isSigar, gossip.rateOfDecay, n))
+
+  def assertCreatedUninitialized(gossip: MetricsGossip): Unit =
+    gossip.nodes.foreach(n ⇒ assertCreatedUninitialized(n.metrics.filterNot(_.trendable)))
+
+  def assertInitialized(gossip: MetricsGossip): Unit =
+    gossip.nodes.foreach(n ⇒ assertInitialized(gossip.rateOfDecay, n.metrics))
+
+  def assertCreatedUninitialized(metrics: Set[Metric]): Unit = {
+    metrics.size must be > (0)
+    metrics foreach { m ⇒
+      m.average.isEmpty must be(true)
+      if (m.value.isDefined) m.isDefined must be(true)
+      if (m.initializable) (m.trendable && m.isDefined && m.average.isEmpty) must be(true)
+    }
+  }
+
+  def assertInitialized(decay: Int, metrics: Set[Metric]): Unit = if (decay > 0) metrics.filter(_.trendable) foreach { m ⇒
+    m.initializable must be(false)
+    if (m.isDefined) m.average.isDefined must be(true)
+  }
+
+  def assertMerged(latest: Metric, peer: Metric, merged: Metric): Unit = if (latest same peer) {
+    if (latest.isDefined) {
+      if (peer.isDefined) {
+        merged.isDefined must be(true)
+        merged.value.get must be(latest.value.get)
+        if (latest.trendable) {
+          if (latest.initializable) merged.average.isEmpty must be(true)
+          else merged.average.isDefined must be(true)
+        }
+      } else {
+        merged.isDefined must be(true)
+        merged.value.get must be(latest.value.get)
+        if (latest.average.isDefined) merged.average.get must be(latest.average.get)
+        else merged.average.isEmpty must be(true)
+      }
+    } else {
+      if (peer.isDefined) {
+        merged.isDefined must be(true)
+        merged.value.get must be(peer.value.get)
+        if (peer.trendable) {
+          if (peer.initializable) merged.average.isEmpty must be(true)
+          else merged.average.isDefined must be(true)
+        }
+      } else {
+        merged.isDefined must be(false)
+        merged.average.isEmpty must be(true)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  def assertExpectedSampleSize(isSigar: Boolean, decay: Int, node: NodeMetrics): Unit = {
+    node.metrics.size must be(9)
+    val metrics = node.metrics.filter(_.isDefined)
+    if (isSigar) { // combined cpu + jmx max heap
+      metrics.size must be >= (7)
+      metrics.size must be <= (9)
+    } else { // jmx max heap
+      metrics.size must be >= (4)
+      metrics.size must be <= (5)
+    }
+
+    if (decay > 0) metrics.collect { case m if m.trendable && (!m.initializable) ⇒ m }.foreach(_.average.isDefined must be(true))
+  }
+
+  def collectNodeMetrics(nodes: Set[NodeMetrics]): Seq[Metric] = {
+    var r: Seq[Metric] = Seq.empty
+    nodes.foreach(n ⇒ r ++= n.metrics.filter(_.isDefined))
+    r
+  }
+}
+
+trait AbstractClusterMetricsSpec extends DefaultTimeout {
+  this: AkkaSpec ⇒
+
+  val selfAddress = new Address("akka", "localhost")
+
+  val window = 49
+
+  val interval: FiniteDuration = 100 millis
+
+  val longDuration = 120 seconds // for long running tests
+
+  val samples = 100
+
+  def createMetricsCollector: MetricsCollector = MetricsCollector(selfAddress, log, system.asInstanceOf[ExtendedActorSystem].dynamicAccess)
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/MetricsGossipSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/MetricsGossipSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3ff6db6de2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/MetricsGossipSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+
+package akka.cluster
+
+import scala.concurrent.util.duration._
+
+import akka.testkit.{ ImplicitSender, AkkaSpec }
+import akka.actor.Address
+
+import java.lang.System.{ currentTimeMillis ⇒ newTimestamp }
+
+@org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
+class MetricsGossipSpec extends AkkaSpec(MetricsEnabledSpec.config) with ImplicitSender with AbstractClusterMetricsSpec with MetricSpec {
+
+  val collector = createMetricsCollector
+
+  "A MetricsGossip" must {
+    "add and initialize new NodeMetrics" in {
+      val m1 = NodeMetrics(Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2554), newTimestamp, collector.sample.metrics)
+      val m2 = NodeMetrics(Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2555), newTimestamp, collector.sample.metrics)
+
+      var localGossip = MetricsGossip(window)
+      localGossip :+= m1
+      localGossip.nodes.size must be(1)
+      localGossip.nodeKeys.size must be(localGossip.nodes.size)
+      assertMasterMetricsAgainstGossipMetrics(Set(m1), localGossip)
+      assertExpectedSampleSize(collector.isSigar, localGossip)
+      assertInitialized(localGossip.rateOfDecay, collectNodeMetrics(localGossip.nodes).toSet)
+
+      localGossip :+= m2
+      localGossip.nodes.size must be(2)
+      localGossip.nodeKeys.size must be(localGossip.nodes.size)
+      assertMasterMetricsAgainstGossipMetrics(Set(m1, m2), localGossip)
+      assertExpectedSampleSize(collector.isSigar, localGossip)
+      assertInitialized(localGossip.rateOfDecay, collectNodeMetrics(localGossip.nodes).toSet)
+    }
+
+    "merge peer metrics" in {
+      val m1 = NodeMetrics(Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2554), newTimestamp, collector.sample.metrics)
+      val m2 = NodeMetrics(Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2555), newTimestamp, collector.sample.metrics)
+
+      var remoteGossip = MetricsGossip(window)
+      remoteGossip :+= m1
+      remoteGossip :+= m2
+      remoteGossip.nodes.size must be(2)
+      val beforeMergeNodes = remoteGossip.nodes
+
+      val m2Updated = m2 copy (metrics = collector.sample.metrics, timestamp = newTimestamp)
+      remoteGossip :+= m2Updated // merge peers
+      remoteGossip.nodes.size must be(2)
+      assertMasterMetricsAgainstGossipMetrics(beforeMergeNodes, remoteGossip)
+      assertExpectedSampleSize(collector.isSigar, remoteGossip)
+      remoteGossip.nodes collect { case peer if peer.address == m2.address ⇒ peer.timestamp must be(m2Updated.timestamp) }
+    }
+
+    "merge an existing metric set for a node and update node ring" in {
+      val m1 = NodeMetrics(Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2554), newTimestamp, collector.sample.metrics)
+      val m2 = NodeMetrics(Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2555), newTimestamp, collector.sample.metrics)
+      val m3 = NodeMetrics(Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2556), newTimestamp, collector.sample.metrics)
+      val m2Updated = m2 copy (metrics = collector.sample.metrics, timestamp = newTimestamp)
+
+      var localGossip = MetricsGossip(window)
+      localGossip :+= m1
+      localGossip :+= m2
+
+      var remoteGossip = MetricsGossip(window)
+      remoteGossip :+= m3
+      remoteGossip :+= m2Updated
+
+      localGossip.nodeKeys.contains(m1.address) must be(true)
+      remoteGossip.nodeKeys.contains(m3.address) must be(true)
+
+      // must contain nodes 1,3, and the most recent version of 2
+      val mergedGossip = localGossip merge remoteGossip
+      mergedGossip.nodes.size must be(3)
+      assertExpectedNodeAddresses(mergedGossip, Set(m1, m2, m3))
+      assertExpectedSampleSize(collector.isSigar, mergedGossip)
+      assertCreatedUninitialized(mergedGossip)
+      assertInitialized(mergedGossip)
+      mergedGossip.nodes.find(_.address == m2.address).get.timestamp must be(m2Updated.timestamp)
+    }
+
+    "get the current NodeMetrics if it exists in the local nodes" in {
+      val m1 = NodeMetrics(Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2554), newTimestamp, collector.sample.metrics)
+      var localGossip = MetricsGossip(window)
+      localGossip :+= m1
+      localGossip.metricsFor(m1).nonEmpty must be(true)
+    }
+
+    "remove a node if it is no longer Up" in {
+      val m1 = NodeMetrics(Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2554), newTimestamp, collector.sample.metrics)
+      val m2 = NodeMetrics(Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2555), newTimestamp, collector.sample.metrics)
+
+      var localGossip = MetricsGossip(window)
+      localGossip :+= m1
+      localGossip :+= m2
+
+      localGossip.nodes.size must be(2)
+      localGossip = localGossip remove m1.address
+      localGossip.nodes.size must be(1)
+      localGossip.nodes.exists(_.address == m1.address) must be(false)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/NodeMetricsSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/NodeMetricsSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5d58bc84e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/test/scala/akka/cluster/NodeMetricsSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+
+package akka.cluster
+
+import akka.testkit.AkkaSpec
+import akka.actor.Address
+
+@org.junit.runner.RunWith(classOf[org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner])
+class NodeMetricsSpec extends AkkaSpec with AbstractClusterMetricsSpec with MetricSpec {
+
+  val collector = createMetricsCollector
+
+  val node1 = Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2554)
+
+  val node2 = Address("akka", "sys", "a", 2555)
+
+  "NodeMetrics must" must {
+    "recognize updatable nodes" in {
+      (NodeMetrics(node1, 0) updatable NodeMetrics(node1, 1)) must be(true)
+    }
+
+    "recognize non-updatable nodes" in {
+      (NodeMetrics(node1, 1) updatable NodeMetrics(node2, 0)) must be(false)
+    }
+
+    "return correct result for 2 'same' nodes" in {
+      (NodeMetrics(node1, 0) same NodeMetrics(node1, 0)) must be(true)
+    }
+
+    "return correct result for 2 not 'same' nodes" in {
+      (NodeMetrics(node1, 0) same NodeMetrics(node2, 0)) must be(false)
+    }
+
+    "merge 2 NodeMetrics by most recent" in {
+      val sample1 = NodeMetrics(node1, 1, collector.sample.metrics)
+      val sample2 = NodeMetrics(node1, 2, collector.sample.metrics)
+
+      val merged = sample1 merge sample2
+      merged.timestamp must be(sample2.timestamp)
+      merged.metrics must be(sample2.metrics)
+    }
+
+    "not merge 2 NodeMetrics if master is more recent" in {
+      val sample1 = NodeMetrics(node1, 1, collector.sample.metrics)
+      val sample2 = NodeMetrics(node2, 0, sample1.metrics)
+
+      val merged = sample2 merge sample2 // older and not same
+      merged.timestamp must be(sample2.timestamp)
+      merged.metrics must be(sample2.metrics)
+    }
+  }
+}
+