diff --git a/client/WEB-INF/web.xml b/client/WEB-INF/web.xml
index 50f2455e848..c6fd30fa3ac 100644
--- a/client/WEB-INF/web.xml
+++ b/client/WEB-INF/web.xml
@@ -20,7 +20,14 @@
     xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee/web-app_2_5.xsd"
     version="2.5">
     
-    
+	<listener>
+  	  <listener-class>org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener</listener-class>
+	</listener>
+    <context-param>    
+        <param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>    
+        <param-value>classpath:applicationContext.xml</param-value>    
+    </context-param>
+          
     <servlet>
         <servlet-name>cloudStartupServlet</servlet-name>
         <servlet-class>com.cloud.servlet.CloudStartupServlet</servlet-class>
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 3c14d4ea560..5f63ce64692 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@
     <cs.servlet.version>2.4</cs.servlet.version>
     <cs.jstl.version>1.2</cs.jstl.version>
     <cs.selenium.server.version>1.0-20081010.060147</cs.selenium.server.version>
+    <org.springframework.version>3.0.5.RELEASE</org.springframework.version>
     <skipTests>true</skipTests>
 
   </properties>
@@ -169,6 +170,86 @@
       <version>${cs.junit.version}</version>
       <scope>test</scope>
     </dependency>
+    
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-core</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+  	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+  	  <artifactId>spring-expression</artifactId>
+  	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-beans</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-aop</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-context</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-context-support</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-tx</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-jdbc</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-orm</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-oxm</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-web</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-webmvc</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	</dependency>
+ 
+	<dependency>
+	  <groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
+	  <artifactId>spring-test</artifactId>
+	  <version>${org.springframework.version}</version>
+	  <scope>test</scope>
+	</dependency>
+
   </dependencies>
 
   <build>
diff --git a/utils/conf/db.properties b/utils/conf/db.properties
index 6bdb6d61667..8d981191b0e 100644
--- a/utils/conf/db.properties
+++ b/utils/conf/db.properties
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ cluster.servlet.port=9090
 # CloudStack database settings
 db.cloud.username=cloud
 db.cloud.password=cloud
+db.root.password=
 db.cloud.host=localhost
 db.cloud.port=3306
 db.cloud.name=cloud
diff --git a/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/EventBus.java b/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/EventBus.java
index 4195acdb469..c1b6f707449 100644
--- a/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/EventBus.java
+++ b/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/EventBus.java
@@ -17,9 +17,11 @@
 
 package com.cloud.utils.events;
 
+import java.io.Serializable;
+
 public interface EventBus {
 	void subscribe(String subject, Subscriber subscriber);
 	void unsubscribe(String subject, Subscriber subscriber);
 	
-	void publish(String subject, PublishScope scope, Object sender, String args);
+	void publish(String subject, PublishScope scope, Object sender, Serializable args);
 }
diff --git a/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/EventBusBase.java b/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/EventBusBase.java
index 0c135dbc9c0..cd10f1d7506 100644
--- a/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/EventBusBase.java
+++ b/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/EventBusBase.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 
 package com.cloud.utils.events;
 
+import java.io.Serializable;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ public class EventBusBase implements EventBus {
 
 	@Override
 	public void publish(String subject, PublishScope scope, Object sender,
-		String args) {
+		Serializable args) {
 		
 		if(_gate.enter(true)) {
 
@@ -283,7 +284,7 @@ public class EventBusBase implements EventBus {
 			_children.put(key, childNode);
 		}
 		
-		public void notifySubscribers(String subject, Object sender, String args) {
+		public void notifySubscribers(String subject, Object sender, Serializable args) {
 			for(Subscriber subscriber : _subscribers) {
 				subscriber.onPublishEvent(subject, sender, args);
 			}
diff --git a/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/Subscriber.java b/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/Subscriber.java
index 7af283b5a39..c3baa6f1169 100644
--- a/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/Subscriber.java
+++ b/utils/src/com/cloud/utils/events/Subscriber.java
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 
 package com.cloud.utils.events;
 
+import java.io.Serializable;
+
 public interface Subscriber {
-	void onPublishEvent(String subject, Object sender, String args);
+	void onPublishEvent(String subject, Object sender, Serializable args);
 }