diff --git a/src/altk/comm/engine/CommEngine.java b/src/altk/comm/engine/CommEngine.java
index 5c7e2b4..26c5bad 100644
--- a/src/altk/comm/engine/CommEngine.java
+++ b/src/altk/comm/engine/CommEngine.java
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import java.io.FileInputStream;
 import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.PrintWriter;
+import java.util.Enumeration;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Properties;
@@ -83,6 +84,9 @@ public abstract class CommEngine extends HttpServlet
 
     private int postbackMaxBatchSize;
 
+	protected String runtimeDirPath;
+	protected String confDirPath;
+
     abstract protected Broadcast mkBroadcast();
     
     public CommEngine(String engineName)
@@ -100,22 +104,36 @@ public abstract class CommEngine extends HttpServlet
     {
         // check init parameters
         ServletContext servletContext = getServletContext();
-        String propertiesFilePath;
         
-        propertiesFilePath = servletContext.getInitParameter(getPropertiesContextName());
-        File propertiesFile = new File(propertiesFilePath);
+        confDirPath = servletContext.getInitParameter(getConfDirContextName());
+        runtimeDirPath = servletContext.getInitParameter(getRunTimeDirContextName());
+        File propertiesFile = new File(confDirPath + "/properties");
         
         // Configure log4j using log4j.properties file, \
         // sibling to the engine properties file.
         // This change is backward compatible with placing the log4j.properties file in
         // the class path.
-        String log4j_properties = propertiesFile.getParent() + "/log4j.properties";
+        String log4j_properties = confDirPath + "/log4j.properties";
+        // Relocate file property offetting it by the runtimeDirPath
         try
         {
-            PropertyConfigurator.configure(log4j_properties);
+        	Properties prop = new Properties();
+        	prop.load(new FileInputStream(log4j_properties));
+        	Enumeration<Object> e = prop.keys();
+        	while (e.hasMoreElements())
+        	{
+        		String key = (String)e.nextElement();
+        		if (key.toLowerCase().endsWith(".file"))
+        		{
+        			prop.setProperty(key, runtimeDirPath + "/" + prop.getProperty(key));
+        			System.out.println(key + "=" + prop.getProperty(key));
+        		}
+        	}
+            PropertyConfigurator.configure(prop);
         }
         catch (Exception e)
         {
+        	System.out.println("Failed to configure log4: " + e);
             // Do nothing, assuming the exception is FileNotFoundException.
             // Remaining log4j initialization will look for log4j.properties
             // file in the class path.
@@ -203,7 +221,9 @@ public abstract class CommEngine extends HttpServlet
      * @return name of parameter in Tomcat context file, specifying properties file
      * for this SMSEngine.
      */
-    protected abstract String getPropertiesContextName();
+    protected abstract String getConfDirContextName();
+    
+    protected abstract String getRunTimeDirContextName();
 
     @Override
     protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)