Running CiviCRM's cron with CiviCRM Cron module

The CiviCRM Cron module executes CiviCRM's cron function without having to call
http://[SITEROOT]/sites/all/modules/civicrm/bin/cron.php?name=username&pass=password&key=site-key

Step to configure CiviCRM's cron using that script can be found here http://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRMDOC43/Managing+Scheduled+Jobs

Instead, the CiviCRM Cron module uses Drupal's cron to call CiviCRM's Scheduled Jobs. Scheduled Jobs must still be configured on CiviCRM.

FAQ

Q. What does this strange error mean when trying to run CiviCRM Cron on Pantheon's dev or test instance?

A. This happens when the dev and/or test instance of the site is set to Private mode in the Security settings. When the site is in Private more, an .htaccess password is required. You enter that when you make a request to the server and it's remembered for all future requests, but when the web server requests something itself using drupal_http_request, it would also need to enter a password. Since it can't, the error is shown.

Q. Now that my Scheduled jobs are running in CiviCRM, how do I prevent email from being sent from a dev or staging version of the site.

CiviCRM Starter Kit has been configured to disable outbound email on all non-live sites. If you are still getting emails, this may be because you are using an old version of civicrm.settings.php for the Starter Kit.

Your best option is to update civicrm.settings.php (as well as your site instance) from the upstream Starter Kit's sites/default/default.civicrm.settings.php so that CIVICRM_MAIL_LOG is defined or disabled based on the Pantheon environment. But you can also quickly Disable Outbound Email in the CiviCRM admin settings.