diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b5db85e0..31902774 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -5,5 +5,6 @@ spec/fixtures/
 .vagrant/
 .bundle/
 coverage/
+log/
 .idea/
 *.iml
diff --git a/.rspec b/.rspec
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..16f9cdb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.rspec
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+--color
+--format documentation
diff --git a/.sync.yml b/.sync.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 571529a2..00000000
--- a/.sync.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
----
-.travis.yml:
-  extras:
-  - rvm: 1.8.7
-    env: PUPPET_GEM_VERSION="~> 2.7.0" FACTER_GEM_VERSION="~> 1.6.0"
-  - rvm: 1.8.7
-    env: PUPPET_GEM_VERSION="~> 2.7.0" FACTER_GEM_VERSION="~> 1.7.0"
-Gemfile:
-  optional:
-  ':development, :unit_tests':
-    - gem: mocha
-spec/spec_helper.rb:
-  unmanaged: true
diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 7e8ed57b..e6314a47 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -1,24 +1,19 @@
 ---
 sudo: false
 language: ruby
+cache: bundler
 bundler_args: --without system_tests
-script: "bundle exec rake validate && bundle exec rake lint && bundle exec rake spec SPEC_OPTS='--format documentation'"
+script: "bundle exec rake validate lint spec"
 matrix:
   fast_finish: true
   include:
-  - rvm: 1.8.7
+  - rvm: 2.1.6
+    env: PUPPET_GEM_VERSION="~> 4.0" STRICT_VARIABLES="yes"
+  - rvm: 2.1.5
+    env: PUPPET_GEM_VERSION="~> 3.0" FUTURE_PARSER="yes"
+  - rvm: 2.1.5
     env: PUPPET_GEM_VERSION="~> 3.0"
   - rvm: 1.9.3
     env: PUPPET_GEM_VERSION="~> 3.0"
-  - rvm: 2.1.5
-    env: PUPPET_GEM_VERSION="~> 3.0"
-  - rvm: 2.1.5
-    env: PUPPET_GEM_VERSION="~> 3.0" FUTURE_PARSER="yes"
-  - rvm: 2.1.6
-    env: PUPPET_GEM_VERSION="~> 4.0" STRICT_VARIABLES="yes"
-  - rvm: 1.8.7
-    env: PUPPET_GEM_VERSION="~> 2.7.0" FACTER_GEM_VERSION="~> 1.6.0"
-  - rvm: 1.8.7
-    env: PUPPET_GEM_VERSION="~> 2.7.0" FACTER_GEM_VERSION="~> 1.7.0"
 notifications:
   email: false
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index f1cbde4b..bfeaa701 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ If you already have those gems installed, make sure they are up-to-date:
 With all dependencies in place and up-to-date we can now run the tests:
 
 ```shell
-% rake spec
+% bundle exec rake spec
 ```
 
 This will execute all the [rspec tests](http://rspec-puppet.com/) tests
@@ -178,8 +178,8 @@ installed on your system.
 You can run them by issuing the following command
 
 ```shell
-% rake spec_clean
-% rspec spec/acceptance
+% bundle exec rake spec_clean
+% bundle exec rspec spec/acceptance
 ```
 
 This will now download a pre-fabricated image configured in the [default node-set](./spec/acceptance/nodesets/default.yml),
diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index 1c0301e6..ced190e7 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 source ENV['GEM_SOURCE'] || "https://rubygems.org"
 
 def location_for(place, fake_version = nil)
-  if place =~ /^(git:[^#]*)#(.*)/
+  if place =~ /^(git[:@][^#]*)#(.*)/
     [fake_version, { :git => $1, :branch => $2, :require => false }].compact
   elsif place =~ /^file:\/\/(.*)/
     ['>= 0', { :path => File.expand_path($1), :require => false }]
@@ -11,14 +11,16 @@ def location_for(place, fake_version = nil)
 end
 
 group :development, :unit_tests do
-  gem 'rspec-core', '3.1.7',     :require => false
-  gem 'puppetlabs_spec_helper',  :require => false
-  gem 'simplecov',               :require => false
-  gem 'puppet_facts',            :require => false
-  gem 'json',                    :require => false
+  gem 'json',                      :require => false
+  gem 'metadata-json-lint',        :require => false
+  gem 'puppet_facts',              :require => false
+  gem 'puppet-blacksmith',         :require => false
+  gem 'puppetlabs_spec_helper',    :require => false
+  gem 'rspec-puppet', '>= 2.3.2',  :require => false
+  gem 'simplecov',                 :require => false
 end
-
 group :system_tests do
+  gem 'beaker-puppet_install_helper',  :require => false
   if beaker_version = ENV['BEAKER_VERSION']
     gem 'beaker', *location_for(beaker_version)
   end
@@ -27,12 +29,10 @@ group :system_tests do
   else
     gem 'beaker-rspec',  :require => false
   end
-  gem 'serverspec',    :require => false
-  gem 'beaker-puppet_install_helper', '~> 0.3', :require => false
+  gem 'master_manipulator',            :require => false
+  gem 'serverspec',                    :require => false
 end
 
-
-
 if facterversion = ENV['FACTER_GEM_VERSION']
   gem 'facter', facterversion, :require => false
 else
@@ -45,8 +45,4 @@ else
   gem 'puppet', :require => false
 end
 
-if File.exists? "#{__FILE__}.local"
-  eval(File.read("#{__FILE__}.local"), binding)
-end
-
 # vim:ft=ruby
diff --git a/Rakefile b/Rakefile
index 181157e6..35ce3114 100644
--- a/Rakefile
+++ b/Rakefile
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-require 'puppetlabs_spec_helper/rake_tasks'
+require 'puppet_blacksmith/rake_tasks'
 require 'puppet-lint/tasks/puppet-lint'
+require 'puppetlabs_spec_helper/rake_tasks'
 
 PuppetLint.configuration.fail_on_warnings = true
 PuppetLint.configuration.send('relative')
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index 2e2b334e..a7f5b4ec 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 require 'puppetlabs_spec_helper/module_spec_helper'
 
-RSpec.configure do |config|
-  config.mock_framework = :mocha
+# put local configuration and setup into spec_helper_local
+begin
+  require 'spec_helper_local'
+rescue LoadError
 end