diff --git a/shaker/engine/messaging.py b/shaker/engine/messaging.py
index 0bde403..d8be500 100644
--- a/shaker/engine/messaging.py
+++ b/shaker/engine/messaging.py
@@ -14,13 +14,15 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 
 import multiprocessing
-
-from oslo_log import log as logging
+import socket
+import time
 import zmq
 
+from oslo_log import log as logging
 from shaker.agent import agent
 from shaker.engine import utils
-
+from six.moves import zip_longest
+from timeit import default_timer as timer
 
 LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -29,13 +31,27 @@ HEARTBEAT_AGENT = '__heartbeat'
 
 class MessageQueue(object):
     def __init__(self, endpoint):
-        _, port = utils.split_address(endpoint)
+        ip, port = utils.split_address(endpoint)
 
         context = zmq.Context()
         self.socket = context.socket(zmq.REP)
         self.socket.bind("tcp://*:%s" % port)
         LOG.info('Listening on *:%s', port)
 
+        # Test that endpoint is actually reachable
+        # otherwise the process will get stuck indefinately waiting
+        # for a REQ/REP that will never happen.
+        # The code to support this was adapted from pypi package tcping
+        try:
+            LOG.info("Testing route to %s" % endpoint)
+            ping_test = Ping(ip, port)
+            ping_test.ping(3)
+            if ping_test._success == 0:
+                raise socket.timeout("No valid route to %s" % endpoint)
+        except socket.error as e:
+            LOG.exception(e)
+            raise
+
         heartbeat = multiprocessing.Process(
             target=agent.work,
             kwargs=dict(agent_id=HEARTBEAT_AGENT, endpoint=endpoint,
@@ -65,3 +81,85 @@ class MessageQueue(object):
             else:
                 LOG.exception(e)
                 raise
+
+
+class Socket(object):
+    def __init__(self, family, type_, timeout):
+        s = socket.socket(family, type_)
+        s.settimeout(timeout)
+        self._s = s
+
+    def connect(self, host, port=80):
+        self._s.connect((host, int(port)))
+
+    def shutdown(self):
+        self._s.shutdown(socket.SHUT_RD)
+
+    def close(self):
+        self._s.close()
+
+
+class Timer(object):
+    def __init__(self):
+        self._start = 0
+        self._stop = 0
+
+    def start(self):
+        self._start = timer()
+
+    def stop(self):
+        self._stop = timer()
+
+    def cost(self, funcs, args):
+        self.start()
+        for func, arg in zip_longest(funcs, args):
+            if arg:
+                func(*arg)
+            else:
+                func()
+
+        self.stop()
+        return self._stop - self._start
+
+
+class Ping(object):
+    def __init__(self, host, port=80, timeout=1):
+        self.timer = Timer()
+
+        self._success = 0
+        self._failed = 0
+        self._conn_times = []
+        self._host = host
+        self._port = port
+        self._timeout = timeout
+
+    def _create_socket(self, family, type_):
+        return Socket(family, type_, self._timeout)
+
+    def ping(self, count=10):
+        for n in range(1, count + 1):
+            s = self._create_socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
+            try:
+                time.sleep(1)
+                cost_time = self.timer.cost(
+                    (s.connect, s.shutdown),
+                    ((self._host, self._port), None))
+                s_runtime = 1000 * (cost_time)
+
+                LOG.debug("Connected to %s[:%s]: seq=%d time=%.2f ms" % (
+                    self._host, self._port, n, s_runtime))
+
+                self._conn_times.append(s_runtime)
+            except socket.timeout:
+                LOG.error("Connected to %s[:%s]: seq=%d time out!" % (
+                    self._host, self._port, n))
+                self._failed += 1
+
+            except KeyboardInterrupt:
+                raise KeyboardInterrupt()
+
+            else:
+                self._success += 1
+
+            finally:
+                s.close()