diff --git a/build.py b/build.py
index 8fbcda6fa25..97c10642315 100755
--- a/build.py
+++ b/build.py
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@
 
 def build_hudson():
     """
-    Top-level build called by hudson for testing the 
+    Top-level build called by hudson for testing all components,
+    generating documentation, etc.
     """
     #
     # Cleaning to prevent strange hudson errors about
@@ -49,6 +50,8 @@ def build_hudson():
 
 def java_omero(args):
     command = [ find_java() ]
+    p = os.path.join( os.path.curdir, "lib", "log4j-build.xml")
+    command.append("-Dlog4j.configuration=%s" % p)
     command.extend( calculate_memory_args() )
     command.extend(["omero"])
     command.extend(choose_omero_version())
diff --git a/components/antlib/resources/lifecycle.xml b/components/antlib/resources/lifecycle.xml
index bb85ee53c79..3fecf0fb442 100644
--- a/components/antlib/resources/lifecycle.xml
+++ b/components/antlib/resources/lifecycle.xml
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@
 		<defineClasspath/>
                 <defineVariables/>
 		<makeDirectories/>
+		<copyResource file="${root.dir}/lib/log4j-build.xml"/>
 		<copyResource file="${root.dir}/etc/local.properties"/>
 		<copyResource file="${root.dir}/etc/hibernate.properties"/>
 		<copyResource file="${root.dir}/etc/log4j.xml"/>
@@ -152,6 +153,7 @@ omero.version=${omero.version}
 			</classpath>
 			<files/>
 			<jvmarg value="-Demma.coverage.out.file=${target.dir}/coverage.emma" />
+			<jvmarg value="-Dlog4j.configuration=log4j-build.xml"/>
 		</testng>
 		</sequential>
 	</macrodef>
diff --git a/etc/log4j-indexing.xml b/etc/log4j-indexing.xml
index 12b44da54dd..df04e4e6355 100644
--- a/etc/log4j-indexing.xml
+++ b/etc/log4j-indexing.xml
@@ -15,10 +15,14 @@
 #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 Log configuration which is pointed to by the -Dlog4j.configuration setting in
-lib/omero/java.py but can be overwritten by setting omero.blitz.xargs. This
-file is periodically read during runtime, and any changes cause the log4j
+etc/grid/templates.xml
+
+This file is periodically read during runtime, and any changes cause the log4j
 system to be re-configured.
 
+Previously, pointed to by lib/omero/java.py but could be overwritten by setting
+omero.blitz.xargs.
+
 -->
 
 <log4j:configuration xmlns:log4j="http://jakarta.apache.org/log4j/" debug="false">
diff --git a/etc/log4j.xml b/etc/log4j.xml
index 40a490c0bfa..f7c3d717ad9 100755
--- a/etc/log4j.xml
+++ b/etc/log4j.xml
@@ -15,10 +15,14 @@
 #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 Log configuration which is pointed to by the -Dlog4j.configuration setting in
-lib/omero/java.py but can be overwritten by setting omero.blitz.xargs. This
-file is periodically read during runtime, and any changes cause the log4j
+etc/grid/templates.xml
+
+This file is periodically read during runtime, and any changes cause the log4j
 system to be re-configured.
 
+Previously, pointed to by lib/omero/java.py but could be overwritten by setting
+omero.blitz.xargs.
+
 -->
 <log4j:configuration xmlns:log4j="http://jakarta.apache.org/log4j/" debug="false">
 
diff --git a/lib/log4j-build.xml b/lib/log4j-build.xml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..607e1d9cec6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/log4j-build.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<!DOCTYPE log4j:configuration SYSTEM "log4j.dtd">
+<!--
+#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+#
+# $Id$
+#
+# Copyright 2009 Glencoe Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
+# Use is subject to license terms supplied in LICENSE.txt
+#
+#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+# Written by:  Josh Moore, josh at glencoesoftware.com
+#~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Log configuration which is pointed to by the -Dlog4j.configuration setting in
+omero.home/build.py as well as the ant scripts in omero.home/components/ant/resources.
+
+-->
+
+<log4j:configuration xmlns:log4j="http://jakarta.apache.org/log4j/" debug="true">
+
+  <appender name="PRIMARY" class="org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender">
+    <param name="Threshold" value="WARN"/>
+    <!--
+    <errorHandler class="org.apache.log4j.helpers.OnlyOnceErrorHandler"/>
+    <layout class="org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout">
+      <param name="ConversionPattern" value="%d{ISO8601} %-5p [%40.40c] (%10.10t) %m%n"/>
+    </layout>
+    -->
+  </appender>
+
+  <category name="velocity"> <priority value="FATAL"/> </category>
+  <category name="ome"> <priority value="WARN"/> </category>
+
+  <root>
+    <appender-ref ref="PRIMARY"/>
+  </root>
+
+</log4j:configuration>