diff --git a/ccm-core/application.xml b/ccm-core/application.xml
index c2637a2b5..ebbf83add 100755
--- a/ccm-core/application.xml
+++ b/ccm-core/application.xml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
   name="ccm-core"
   prettyName="Core"
   version="6.6.6"
-  release="3"
+  release="4"
   shared="true"
   webapp="ROOT"
   buildHooks="build-hooks.xml">
diff --git a/ccm-core/build-hooks.xml b/ccm-core/build-hooks.xml
index 19d732889..2939a6e19 100755
--- a/ccm-core/build-hooks.xml
+++ b/ccm-core/build-hooks.xml
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@
 
   <target name="compile-hook">
     <mkdir dir="${build.src.dir}/com/arsdigita/installer"/>
-    <!-- Old style initializer completely removed.                 -->
-    <!-- <mkdir dir="${build.src.dir}/com/arsdigita/initializer"/> -->
     <mkdir dir="${build.src.dir}/com/redhat/persistence/pdl"/>
     <mkdir dir="${build.src.dir}/com/redhat/persistence/common"/>
     <mkdir dir="${build.src.dir}/com/redhat/persistence/oql"/>
@@ -15,13 +13,6 @@
       outputdirectory="${build.src.dir}/com/arsdigita/installer"
       javacchome="${javacc.home.dir}"
     />
-<!--  Old style initializer completely removed. 
-    <javacc
-      target="${src.dir}/com/arsdigita/initializer/ScriptParser.jj"
-      outputdirectory="${build.src.dir}/com/arsdigita/initializer"
-      javacchome="${javacc.home.dir}"
-    />
--->
     <javacc
       target="${src.dir}/com/redhat/persistence/pdl/PDLParser.jj"
       outputdirectory="${build.src.dir}/com/redhat/persistence/pdl"
@@ -51,10 +42,12 @@
   <target name="deploy-hook">
     <fail message="Property this.deploy.dir not defined." 
           unless="this.deploy.dir" />
-    <!-- deploy the log4j configuration file into the web applications
-         document root tree                                                 -->
-    <!--copy todir="${this.deploy.dir}/WEB-INF"
-          file="${src.dir}/log4j2.xml"/-->
+    <!-- deploy the log4j v2 configuration file into the web applications
+         document root tree                                               -->
+    <mkdir dir="${this.deploy.dir}/WEB-INF/conf"/>
+    <copy todir="${this.deploy.dir}/WEB-INF/conf"
+          file="${src.dir}/log4j2.xml" />
+
     <!-- project.xml moved to bundle cfg directory where it replaces
          former application.cfg                                            -->
     <xslt style="${ccm.tools.xsl.dir}/build-version.xsl" 
diff --git a/ccm-core/src/log4j2.xml b/ccm-core/src/log4j2.xml
index 740daef85..6f11f3d6c 100644
--- a/ccm-core/src/log4j2.xml
+++ b/ccm-core/src/log4j2.xml
@@ -1,20 +1,72 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <!-- Change status to DEBUG for more verbose output-->
-<configuration status="WARN">
+<configuration status="INFO">
   <appenders>
     <Console name="Console" target="SYSTEM_OUT">
       <PatternLayout pattern="%d{HH:mm:ss.SSS} [%t] %-5level %logger{36} - %msg%n"/>
     </Console>
 
-    <File name="ErrorLog" fileName="logs/error.log">
+    <File name="FileLog" fileName="/var/log/tomcat7s/trunklcs/libreccm.log">
         <PatternLayout pattern="%d{yyyy-mm-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS} [%t] %-5level %logger{36} - %msg%n"/>
-    </File>             
+    </File>
   </appenders>
 
-  <loggers>     
-    <root>
-      <appender-ref ref="Console"/>
-      <appender-ref ref="ErrorLog" level="error"/>
+
+  <loggers>
+
+    <root level="ERROR" additivity="false" >
+      <appenderRef ref="Console"/>
+      <appenderRef ref="FileLog" />
     </root>
+
+
+    <!-- Progress of libreccm container startup process        -->
+    <Logger name="com.arsdigita.web.CCMApplicationContextListener"
+            level="INFO" additivity="false" >
+      <appenderRef ref="Console"/>
+      <appenderRef ref="FileLog" />
+    </Logger>
+
+    <!-- Progress of libreccm main runtime initialization process -->
+    <!--
+    <Logger name="com.arsdigita.runtime.Runtime"
+            level="INFO" additivity="false" > 
+      <appenderRef ref="Console"/>
+      <appenderRef ref="FileLog" />
+    </Logger>
+    -->
+
+    <!-- Set level="DEBUG" to get information about XSLT file resolution -->
+    <Logger name="com.arsdigita.templating.PatternStylesheetResolver"
+            level="DEBUG" additivity="false" >
+      <!-- output just to libreccm specific application log, no system log -->
+      <appenderRef ref="FileLog" />
+    </Logger>
+                                                                                                                                                   43,1          40%
+    <!-- Set level="DEBUG" to get information JSP file dispatcher      -->
+    <Logger name="com.arsdigita.web.ApplicationFileServlet"
+            level="ERROR" additivity="false" >
+      <appenderRef ref="FileLog" />
+    </Logger>
+    <Logger name="com.arsdigita.web.DefaultApplicationFileResolver"
+            level="ERROR" additivity="false" >
+      <appenderRef ref="FileLog" />
+    </Logger>
+
+    <!-- Set level="DEBUG" to collect all queries run by persistence  -->
+    <Logger name="com.arsdigita.web.ApplicationFileServlet"
+            level="ERROR" additivity="false" >
+      <appenderRef ref="FileLog" />
+    </Logger>
+
+    <!-- uncomment / add entries for detailed information per package  -->
+    <!--
+    <Logger name="com.arsdigita.PACKAGE.CLASS"
+            level="DEBUG" additivity="false" >
+      <appenderRef ref="FileLog" />
+    </Logger>
+    -->
+
   </loggers>
-</configuration>
\ No newline at end of file
+
+</configuration>
diff --git a/ccm-core/web/WEB-INF/web.d/web.default-ccm-core.xml b/ccm-core/web/WEB-INF/web.d/web.default-ccm-core.xml
index 67264429b..f03975919 100644
--- a/ccm-core/web/WEB-INF/web.d/web.default-ccm-core.xml
+++ b/ccm-core/web/WEB-INF/web.d/web.default-ccm-core.xml
@@ -1,29 +1,34 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<web-app      xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee"
+<web-app      xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
- xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee/web-app_2_4.xsd"
-            version="2.4">
+ xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee/web-app_3_0.xsd"
+            version="3.0">
 
-    <!--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
+  <!--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
         basic web.xml for ccm-core and basic functions. If
         additional modules provide specific web.xml snippets they must be
         integrated before CCM is ready to work. Alternatively a
         complete web.xml file from an installation bundle may be used.
+      
+        ccm-core requires at minimum Servlet Spec 3.0 / Tomcat 7.0
         - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -->
 
 
-    <display-name>CCM</display-name>
-    <description>Content and Collaboration Management</description>
+  <display-name>CCM</display-name>
+  <description>Content and Collaboration Management</description>
 
-    <!--
-        path and filename of the log4j user accessible config file
-        WEB-INF/conf/log4j.properties is the built-in default value
-    -->
-    <context-param>
-        <param-name>log4j-conf-file</param-name>
-        <param-value>WEB-INF/conf/log4j.properties</param-value>
-    </context-param>
+  <!-- path and filename of the log4j2 user accessible config file
+       By default is is the same as the class path accessible file 
+       in class ccm-core-x.y.z.jar.                                         -->
+  <context-param>
+    <param-name>log4jConfiguration</param-name>
+    <param-value>WEB-INF/conf/log4j2.xml</param-value>
+  </context-param>
 
+  <!-- Prevent Session ID in URL (for security reasons!)                     -->
+  <session-config>
+    <tracking-mode>COOKIE</tracking-mode>
+  </session-config>
 
   <!-- Require secure connection by redirect to host-port part
        of parameter waf.web.secure_server               
diff --git a/ccm-core/web/WEB-INF/web.xml b/ccm-core/web/WEB-INF/web.xml
index 9fbc7cbf2..0262b62d6 100644
--- a/ccm-core/web/WEB-INF/web.xml
+++ b/ccm-core/web/WEB-INF/web.xml
@@ -1,21 +1,35 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<web-app      xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee"
+<web-app      xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee"
           xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
- xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee/web-app_2_4.xsd"
-            version="2.4">
+ xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee/web-app_3_0.xsd"
+            version="3.0">
 
     <!--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
         basic web.xml for ccm-core and basic functions. If
         additional modules provide specific web.xml snippets they must be
         integrated before CCM is ready to work. Alternatively a
         complete web.xml file from an installation bundle may be used.
+        
+        ccm-core requires at minimum Servlet Spec 3.0 / Tomcat 7.0
         - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -->
 
 
-    <display-name>CCM</display-name>
-    <description>Content and Collaboration Management</description>
+  <display-name>CCM</display-name>
+  <description>Content and Collaboration Management</description>
 
+  <!-- path and filename of the log4j2 user accessible config file
+       By default is is the same as the class path accessible file 
+       in class ccm-core-x.y.z.jar.                                          -->
+  <context-param>
+    <param-name>log4jConfiguration</param-name>
+    <param-value>WEB-INF/conf/log4j2.xml</param-value>
+  </context-param>
 
+  <!-- Prevent Session ID in URL (for security reasons!)                     -->
+  <session-config>
+    <tracking-mode>COOKIE</tracking-mode>
+  </session-config>
+  
   <!-- Require secure connection by redirect to host-port part
        of parameter waf.web.secure_server               
   <filter>