diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 99ab099..208a13a 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -37,6 +37,12 @@
             <version>4.8.2</version>
             <scope>test</scope>
         </dependency>
+        <dependency>
+            <groupId>org.mockito</groupId>
+            <artifactId>mockito-all</artifactId>
+            <version>1.9.0</version>
+            <scope>test</scope>
+        </dependency>
         <dependency>
             <groupId>org.scala-tools.testing</groupId>
             <artifactId>specs_${scala.version}</artifactId>
diff --git a/src/main/scala/scalang/epmd/Epmd.scala b/src/main/scala/scalang/epmd/Epmd.scala
index df994c6..90580d2 100644
--- a/src/main/scala/scalang/epmd/Epmd.scala
+++ b/src/main/scala/scalang/epmd/Epmd.scala
@@ -21,30 +21,81 @@ import netty.bootstrap._
 import netty.channel._
 import socket.nio._
 import overlock.threadpool._
+import com.codahale.logula.Logging
 
-object Epmd {
+case class EpmdConfig(
+    host: String,
+    port: Int,
+    connectOnInit: Boolean = true,
+    retries: Option[Int] = Some(Epmd.defaultRetries),
+    retryInterval: Option[Double] = None,
+    connectionTimeout: Option[Int] = None
+)
+
+object Epmd extends Logging {
+  private val futurePollingInterval = 100 /* nanos */
   val defaultPort = 4369
+  val defaultRetries = 5
+  val defaultRetryInterval = 2.0 /*seconds*/
+
   lazy val bossPool = ThreadPool.instrumentedElastic("scalang.epmd", "boss", 1, 20)
   lazy val workerPool = ThreadPool.instrumentedElastic("scalang.epmd", "worker", 1, 20)
 
-  def apply(host : String) : Epmd = {
-    val port = Option(System.getenv("ERL_EPMD_PORT")).map(_.toInt).getOrElse(defaultPort)
-    new Epmd(host, port)
+  def apply(host: String, port: Option[Int] = None): Epmd = {
+    val epmdPort = port match {
+      case Some(p) => p
+      case None =>  Option(System.getenv("ERL_EPMD_PORT")).map(_.toInt).getOrElse(defaultPort)
+    }
+    Epmd(new EpmdConfig(host, epmdPort))
   }
 
-  def apply(host : String, port : Int) : Epmd = {
-    new Epmd(host, port)
+  def apply(cfg: EpmdConfig): Epmd = {
+    val epmd = new Epmd(cfg.host, cfg.port, cfg.connectionTimeout)
+    if (cfg.connectOnInit) {
+      connectWithRetries(epmd, cfg)
+    }
+    epmd
+  }
+
+  def connectWithRetries(epmd: Epmd, cfg: EpmdConfig) {
+    var future = epmd.connect
+    while (!future.isDone) {
+      Thread.sleep(futurePollingInterval)
+    }
+
+    if (cfg.retries.isDefined) {
+      val retries = cfg.retries.get
+
+      val retryInterval = cfg.retryInterval.getOrElse(defaultRetryInterval)
+      val retryIntervalMillis = (retryInterval * 1000.0).toInt
+
+      var numRetries = 0
+      while (!epmd.connected && numRetries < retries) {
+        // Retry the connection
+        if (!future.isSuccess) {
+          log.warn("epmd connection failed. Retrying in %.1f seconds", retryInterval)
+          Thread.sleep(retryIntervalMillis)
+          future = epmd.connect
+          numRetries += 1
+        }
+        // Poll the future
+        while (!future.isDone) {
+          Thread.sleep(futurePollingInterval)
+        }
+      }
+    }
   }
 }
 
-class Epmd(val host : String, val port : Int) {
+class Epmd(val host : String, val port : Int, val defaultTimeout: Option[Int] = None) extends Logging {
+  var channel: Channel = null
+  val handler = new EpmdHandler
+
   val bootstrap = new ClientBootstrap(
     new NioClientSocketChannelFactory(
       Epmd.bossPool,
       Epmd.workerPool))
 
-  val handler = new EpmdHandler
-
   bootstrap.setPipelineFactory(new ChannelPipelineFactory {
     def getPipeline : ChannelPipeline = {
       Channels.pipeline(
@@ -53,29 +104,63 @@ class Epmd(val host : String, val port : Int) {
         handler)
     }
   })
+  setTimeout(defaultTimeout)
+
+
+  def setTimeout(timeout: Option[Int]) {
+    if (timeout.isDefined) {
+      bootstrap.setOption("connectTimeoutMillis", timeout.get * 1000)
+    }
+  }
+
+  def connect: ChannelFuture = {
+    val connectFuture = bootstrap.connect(new InetSocketAddress(host, port))
+    connectFuture.addListener(new ChannelFutureListener {
+      def operationComplete(future: ChannelFuture) {
+        if (!future.isSuccess) {
+          log.error(future.getCause, "Failed to connect to epmd on %s:%s", host, port)
+        } else {
+        channel = future.getChannel
+        }
+      }
+    })
+    connectFuture
+  }
 
-  val connectFuture = bootstrap.connect(new InetSocketAddress(host, port))
-  val channel = connectFuture.awaitUninterruptibly.getChannel
-  if(!connectFuture.isSuccess) {
-    throw connectFuture.getCause
+  def connectBlocking: Epmd = {
+    val connectFuture = bootstrap.connect(new InetSocketAddress(host, port))
+    channel = connectFuture.awaitUninterruptibly.getChannel
+    this
   }
 
   def close {
     channel.close
   }
 
+  def connected = (channel != null)
+
   def alive(portNo : Int, nodeName : String) : Option[Int] = {
+    if (!connected) {
+      log.error("'alive(%s, %s)' called before Epmd connected!", portNo, nodeName)
+      return None
+    }
+
     channel.write(AliveReq(portNo,nodeName))
     val response = handler.response.call.asInstanceOf[AliveResp]
     if (response.result == 0) {
       Some(response.creation)
     } else {
-      error("Epmd response was: " + response.result)
+      log.error("Epmd response was: " + response.result)
       None
     }
   }
 
   def lookupPort(nodeName : String) : Option[Int] = {
+    if(!connected) {
+      log.error("'lookupPort(%s)' called before Epmd connected!", nodeName)
+      return None
+    }
+
     channel.write(PortPleaseReq(nodeName))
     handler.response.call match {
       case PortPleaseResp(portNo, _) => Some(portNo)
@@ -84,3 +169,4 @@ class Epmd(val host : String, val port : Int) {
   }
 }
 
+
diff --git a/src/main/scala/scalang/epmd/EpmdMessages.scala b/src/main/scala/scalang/epmd/EpmdMessages.scala
index 6bbed07..becf9e6 100644
--- a/src/main/scala/scalang/epmd/EpmdMessages.scala
+++ b/src/main/scala/scalang/epmd/EpmdMessages.scala
@@ -15,10 +15,12 @@
 //
 package scalang.epmd
 
+// Requests:
 case class AliveReq(portNo : Int, nodeName : String)
 
 case class AliveResp(result : Int, creation : Int)
 
+// Responses:
 case class PortPleaseReq(nodeName : String)
 
 case class PortPleaseError(result : Int)
diff --git a/src/test/scala/scalang/TestHelper.scala b/src/test/scala/scalang/TestHelper.scala
index 97f54f3..63075e6 100644
--- a/src/test/scala/scalang/TestHelper.scala
+++ b/src/test/scala/scalang/TestHelper.scala
@@ -29,9 +29,18 @@ object Escript {
 
 object EpmdCmd {
   def apply() : SysProcess = {
-    val builder = new ProcessBuilder("epmd")
+    val osName = System.getProperty("os.name").toLowerCase
+    var builder : ProcessBuilder = null
+    if (!osName.contains("win")) {
+      builder = new ProcessBuilder("bash", "-c", "export PATH=" + formatPath + " && epmd")
+    } else {
+      builder = new ProcessBuilder("epmd")
+    }
     builder.start
   }
+
+  val additionalPaths = List("/usr/local/bin", "/usr/local/sbin")
+  def formatPath: String = additionalPaths.mkString(":") + ":" + System.getenv("PATH")
 }
 
 object ReadLine {
diff --git a/src/test/scala/scalang/epmd/EpmdSpec.scala b/src/test/scala/scalang/epmd/EpmdSpec.scala
index 3fc143d..1e0eafa 100644
--- a/src/test/scala/scalang/epmd/EpmdSpec.scala
+++ b/src/test/scala/scalang/epmd/EpmdSpec.scala
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 package scalang.epmd
 
 import org.specs._
-import org.specs.runner._
+import mock.Mockito
 import java.lang.{Process => SysProcess}
 import scalang._
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelFuture
 
-class EpmdSpec extends SpecificationWithJUnit {
+class EpmdSpec extends SpecificationWithJUnit with Mockito {
   "Epmd" should {
     var proc : SysProcess = null
     doBefore {
@@ -36,4 +37,47 @@ class EpmdSpec extends SpecificationWithJUnit {
       epmdQuery.close
     }
   }
+
+  "Epmd object" should {
+    "return an Epmd directly" in {
+      val noConnectConfig = new EpmdConfig("localhost", Epmd.defaultPort, connectOnInit = false)
+      val epmd = Epmd(noConnectConfig)
+      epmd.connected must(be(false))
+    }
+
+    "connect with retries" in {
+      val epmd = mock[Epmd]
+      val future = mock[ChannelFuture]
+      epmd.connect.returns(future)
+
+      // Always returns true so that it's never polled
+      future.isDone.returns(true)
+
+      // 'connected' is checked before 'future.isSuccess' since there should be a polling step
+      // that's being skipped in each test.
+      epmd.connected
+        .returns(false)
+        .thenReturns(false)
+        .thenReturns(false)
+        .thenReturns(false)
+        .thenReturns(true)
+      future.isSuccess
+        .returns(false)
+        .thenReturns(false)
+        .thenReturns(false)
+        .thenReturns(true)
+
+      val retryCfg = new EpmdConfig(
+        "localhost",
+        Epmd.defaultPort,
+        connectOnInit = true,
+        connectionTimeout = Some(1),
+        retries = Some(10),
+        retryInterval = Some(1)
+      )
+      Epmd.connectWithRetries(epmd, retryCfg)
+
+      there was 4.times(epmd).connect
+    }
+  }
 }