diff --git a/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/configuration.py b/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/configuration.py
index 221a26fb..050a9a56 100644
--- a/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/configuration.py
+++ b/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/configuration.py
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ def configure(self, opts, ports):
             conf.set(name, value)
 
         # Extend conf adding logging of log4j to java options
-        base_extra_java_options = "-Dlog4j.configuration=file:%s" % self.connector.log4j_file
+        base_extra_java_options = "-Dlog4j2.configurationFile=%s" % self.connector.log4j_file
         extra_java_options = conf.get("spark.driver.extraJavaOptions")
         if extra_java_options:
             extra_java_options = base_extra_java_options + " " + extra_java_options
diff --git a/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/connector.py b/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/connector.py
index dffa2314..ee213092 100644
--- a/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/connector.py
+++ b/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/connector.py
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ def _recv(msg):
     def create_properties_file(self, log_path):
         """ Creates a configuration file for Spark log4j """
 
-        fd, path = tempfile.mkstemp()
+        fd, path = tempfile.mkstemp(suffix='.properties')
         os.close(fd) # Reopen tempfile because mkstemp opens it in binary format
         f = open(path, 'w')
 
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ def create_properties_file(self, log_path):
         for line in f_configs:
             f.write(line)
 
-        f.write(u'log4j.appender.file.File=%s\n' % log_path)
+        f.write(u'appender.file.fileName=%s\n' % log_path)
 
         f_configs.close()
         f.close()
diff --git a/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/log4j_conf b/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/log4j_conf
index 17912e3b..c98dee5c 100644
--- a/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/log4j_conf
+++ b/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/log4j_conf
@@ -1,21 +1,79 @@
-log4j.appender.console=org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender
-log4j.appender.console.target=System.err
-log4j.appender.console.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
-log4j.appender.console.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{yy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss} %p %c{1}: %m%n
+# Root Logger
+rootLogger.level = WARN
+rootLogger.appenderRef.stdout.ref = STDOUT
+rootLogger.appenderRef.file.ref = LOGFILE
 
-log4j.rootCategory=WARN, console
+# Log to stdout
+appender.console.type = Console
+appender.console.name = STDOUT
+appender.console.layout.type = PatternLayout
+appender.console.layout.pattern = %d{yy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss} %p %c{1}: %m%n%ex
 
-log4j.logger.org.eclipse.jetty=WARN
-log4j.logger.org.apache.spark.repl.SparkIMain$exprTyper=INFO
-log4j.logger.org.apache.spark.repl.SparkILoop$SparkILoopInterpreter=INFO
+# Log to file
+appender.file.type = File
+appender.file.name = LOGFILE
+appender.file.layout.type = PatternLayout
+appender.file.layout.pattern = %d{yy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss} %p %c{1}: %m%n%ex
 
+# SparkMonitor logger
+logger.sparkmonitor.name = MONITOR
+logger.sparkmonitor.level = WARN
+logger.sparkmonitor.appenderRef.stdout.ref = STDOUT
 
-log4j.appender.file=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
-log4j.appender.file.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
-log4j.appender.file.layout.ConversionPattern=%m%n
 
-log4j.logger.org.apache.spark.api.python.PythonGatewayServer=WARN
-log4j.logger.org.apache.spark=WARN, file
+# Spark Default Template
+# Set the default spark-shell/spark-sql log level to WARN. When running the
+# spark-shell/spark-sql, the log level for these classes is used to overwrite
+# the root logger's log level, so that the user can have different defaults
+# for the shell and regular Spark apps.
+logger.repl.name = org.apache.spark.repl.Main
+logger.repl.level = info
 
-log4j.logger.sparkmonitor.listener.JupyterSparkMonitorListener=WARN
-log4j.logger.sparkmonitor.listener=WARN, console
+# Settings to quiet third party logs that are too verbose
+logger.jetty1.name = org.sparkproject.jetty
+logger.jetty1.level = info
+logger.jetty2.name = org.sparkproject.jetty.util.component.AbstractLifeCycle
+logger.jetty2.level = error
+logger.replexprTyper.name = org.apache.spark.repl.SparkIMain$exprTyper
+logger.replexprTyper.level = info
+logger.replSparkILoopInterpreter.name = org.apache.spark.repl.SparkILoop$SparkILoopInterpreter
+logger.replSparkILoopInterpreter.level = info
+logger.parquet1.name = org.apache.parquet
+logger.parquet1.level = error
+logger.parquet2.name = parquet
+logger.parquet2.level = error
+
+# SPARK-9183: Settings to avoid annoying messages when looking up nonexistent UDFs in SparkSQL with Hive support
+logger.RetryingHMSHandler.name = org.apache.hadoop.hive.metastore.RetryingHMSHandler
+logger.RetryingHMSHandler.level = fatal
+logger.FunctionRegistry.name = org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.exec.FunctionRegistry
+logger.FunctionRegistry.level = error
+
+
+# NXCALS
+# Silencing: WARN URLConfigurationSource: No URLs will be polled as dynamic configuration sources.
+logger.urlConf.name = com.netflix.config.sources.URLConfigurationSource
+logger.urlConf.level = error
+
+# Silencing: WARN NativeCodeLoader: Unable to load native-hadoop library for your platform... using builtin-java classes where applicable
+logger.nativeCodeLoader.name = org.apache.hadoop.util.NativeCodeLoader
+logger.nativeCodeLoader.level = error
+
+# Silencing: WARN DomainSocketFactory: The short-circuit local reads feature cannot be used because libhadoop cannot be loaded.
+logger.domainSocketFactory.name = org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.shortcircuit.DomainSocketFactory
+logger.domainSocketFactory.level = error
+
+# Silencing: WARN Client: Same name resource added multiple times to distributed cache
+logger.sparkYarnClient.name = org.apache.spark.deploy.yarn.Client
+logger.sparkYarnClient.level = error
+
+# Silencing: WARN Client: Exception encountered while connecting to the server
+# org.apache.hadoop.ipc.RemoteException(org.apache.hadoop.ipc.StandbyException): Operation category READ is not supported in state standby.
+logger.hadoopIpcClient.name = org.apache.hadoop.ipc.Client
+logger.hadoopIpcClient.level = error
+
+
+# Silencing: WARN Client: Exception encountered while connecting to the server
+# org.apache.zookeeper.ClientCnxnSocketNIO.doIO(ClientCnxnSocketNIO.java:77): Unable to read additional data from server sessionid, likely server has closed socket
+logger.zookeeper.name = org.apache.zookeeper.ClientCnxn
+logger.zookeeper.level = ERROR
diff --git a/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/logreader.py b/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/logreader.py
index fd2a36d2..8463b119 100644
--- a/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/logreader.py
+++ b/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/logreader.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ def __init__(self, connector, log):
         Thread.__init__(self)
 
     def format_log_line(self, line):
-        return line.strip() + "\n\n"
+        return line.strip() + "\n"
 
     def tail(self, max_size=10*1024*1024):
         # Use rb mode to be able to seek backwards