diff --git a/config/alfresco/authentication-services-context.xml b/config/alfresco/authentication-services-context.xml
index 1a305de31e..7bbf34151b 100644
--- a/config/alfresco/authentication-services-context.xml
+++ b/config/alfresco/authentication-services-context.xml
@@ -46,24 +46,10 @@
         <property name="providers">
             <list>
                 <ref bean="authenticatedAuthenticationPassthroughProvider" />
-                <ref bean="daoAuthenticationProvider" />
             </list>
         </property>
     </bean>
 
-    <!-- We provide a DAO to plug into the Acegi DaoAuthenticationProvider  -->
-
-    <bean id="daoAuthenticationProvider" class="net.sf.acegisecurity.providers.dao.DaoAuthenticationProvider">
-        <property name="authenticationDao">
-            <ref bean="authenticationDao" />
-        </property>
-        <property name="saltSource">
-            <ref bean="saltSource" />
-        </property>
-        <property name="passwordEncoder">
-            <ref bean="passwordEncoder" />
-        </property>
-    </bean>
 
     <!-- An authentication Provider that just believes authentications      -->
     <!-- bound to the local thread are valid if they are set as             -->
@@ -144,10 +130,6 @@
       </property>
    </bean>
     
-    <!-- The DAO also acts as a salt provider.                              -->
-
-    <alias alias="saltSource" name="authenticationDao"/>
-
     <!-- Passwords are encoded using MD4                                    -->
     <!-- This is not ideal and only done to be compatible with NTLM         -->
     <!-- authentication against the default authentication mechanism.       -->
diff --git a/config/alfresco/network-protocol-context.xml b/config/alfresco/network-protocol-context.xml
index b57067d0db..3dbb93a201 100644
--- a/config/alfresco/network-protocol-context.xml
+++ b/config/alfresco/network-protocol-context.xml
@@ -7,9 +7,6 @@
    <bean id="fileServerConfigurationBase"
          abstract="true"
          destroy-method="closeConfiguration">
-      <property name="authenticationManager">
-         <ref bean="authenticationManager"/>
-      </property>
       <property name="authenticationService">
          <ref bean="authenticationService"/>
       </property>
diff --git a/config/alfresco/subsystems/Authentication/alfresco/alfresco-authentication-context.xml b/config/alfresco/subsystems/Authentication/alfresco/alfresco-authentication-context.xml
index ac0d1843df..65c1708705 100644
--- a/config/alfresco/subsystems/Authentication/alfresco/alfresco-authentication-context.xml
+++ b/config/alfresco/subsystems/Authentication/alfresco/alfresco-authentication-context.xml
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
       </property>
    </bean>
 
-   <!-- Authenticaton service for chaining -->
+   <!-- Authentication service for chaining -->
    <bean id="localAuthenticationService" class="org.alfresco.repo.security.authentication.AuthenticationServiceImpl">
       <property name="authenticationDao">
          <ref bean="authenticationDao" />
@@ -94,4 +94,50 @@
       </property>
    </bean>
 
+   <!--                                                                    -->
+   <!-- The Acegi authentication manager.                                  -->
+   <!--                                                                    -->
+   <!-- Provders are asked to authenticate in order.                       -->
+   <!-- First, is a provider that checks if an acegi authentication object -->
+   <!-- is already bound to the executing thread. If it is, and it is set  -->
+   <!-- as authenticated then no further authentication is required. If    -->
+   <!-- this is absent, Acegi validates the password for every method      -->
+   <!-- invocation, which is too CPU expensive. If we set an               -->
+   <!-- authentication based on a ticket etc .... or we want to set the    -->
+   <!-- the system user as the current user ... we do not have the         -->
+   <!-- password. So if we have set an authentication and set it as        -->
+   <!-- authenticated that is sufficient to validate the user.             -->
+   <!--                                                                    -->
+   <!-- If the authentication bound to the current thread is not set as    -->
+   <!-- authenticated the standard Acegi DAO Authentication provider       -->
+   <!-- is used to authenticate.                                           -->
+   <!--                                                                    -->
+
+   <bean id="authenticationManager" class="net.sf.acegisecurity.providers.ProviderManager">
+      <property name="providers">
+         <list>
+            <ref bean="authenticatedAuthenticationPassthroughProvider" />
+            <ref bean="daoAuthenticationProvider" />
+         </list>
+      </property>
+   </bean>
+
+   <!-- We provide a DAO to plug into the Acegi DaoAuthenticationProvider  -->
+
+   <bean id="daoAuthenticationProvider" class="net.sf.acegisecurity.providers.dao.DaoAuthenticationProvider">
+      <property name="authenticationDao">
+         <ref bean="authenticationDao" />
+      </property>
+      <property name="saltSource">
+         <ref bean="saltSource" />
+      </property>
+      <property name="passwordEncoder">
+         <ref bean="passwordEncoder" />
+      </property>
+   </bean>
+
+   <!-- The DAO also acts as a salt provider.                              -->
+
+   <alias alias="saltSource" name="authenticationDao" />
+
 </beans>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/config/alfresco/subsystems/Authentication/alfrescoNtlm/alfresco-authentication-context.xml b/config/alfresco/subsystems/Authentication/alfrescoNtlm/alfresco-authentication-context.xml
index ac0d1843df..65c1708705 100644
--- a/config/alfresco/subsystems/Authentication/alfrescoNtlm/alfresco-authentication-context.xml
+++ b/config/alfresco/subsystems/Authentication/alfrescoNtlm/alfresco-authentication-context.xml
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
       </property>
    </bean>
 
-   <!-- Authenticaton service for chaining -->
+   <!-- Authentication service for chaining -->
    <bean id="localAuthenticationService" class="org.alfresco.repo.security.authentication.AuthenticationServiceImpl">
       <property name="authenticationDao">
          <ref bean="authenticationDao" />
@@ -94,4 +94,50 @@
       </property>
    </bean>
 
+   <!--                                                                    -->
+   <!-- The Acegi authentication manager.                                  -->
+   <!--                                                                    -->
+   <!-- Provders are asked to authenticate in order.                       -->
+   <!-- First, is a provider that checks if an acegi authentication object -->
+   <!-- is already bound to the executing thread. If it is, and it is set  -->
+   <!-- as authenticated then no further authentication is required. If    -->
+   <!-- this is absent, Acegi validates the password for every method      -->
+   <!-- invocation, which is too CPU expensive. If we set an               -->
+   <!-- authentication based on a ticket etc .... or we want to set the    -->
+   <!-- the system user as the current user ... we do not have the         -->
+   <!-- password. So if we have set an authentication and set it as        -->
+   <!-- authenticated that is sufficient to validate the user.             -->
+   <!--                                                                    -->
+   <!-- If the authentication bound to the current thread is not set as    -->
+   <!-- authenticated the standard Acegi DAO Authentication provider       -->
+   <!-- is used to authenticate.                                           -->
+   <!--                                                                    -->
+
+   <bean id="authenticationManager" class="net.sf.acegisecurity.providers.ProviderManager">
+      <property name="providers">
+         <list>
+            <ref bean="authenticatedAuthenticationPassthroughProvider" />
+            <ref bean="daoAuthenticationProvider" />
+         </list>
+      </property>
+   </bean>
+
+   <!-- We provide a DAO to plug into the Acegi DaoAuthenticationProvider  -->
+
+   <bean id="daoAuthenticationProvider" class="net.sf.acegisecurity.providers.dao.DaoAuthenticationProvider">
+      <property name="authenticationDao">
+         <ref bean="authenticationDao" />
+      </property>
+      <property name="saltSource">
+         <ref bean="saltSource" />
+      </property>
+      <property name="passwordEncoder">
+         <ref bean="passwordEncoder" />
+      </property>
+   </bean>
+
+   <!-- The DAO also acts as a salt provider.                              -->
+
+   <alias alias="saltSource" name="authenticationDao" />
+
 </beans>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/source/java/org/alfresco/filesys/AbstractServerConfigurationBean.java b/source/java/org/alfresco/filesys/AbstractServerConfigurationBean.java
index 61db86cbc1..92a30db78d 100644
--- a/source/java/org/alfresco/filesys/AbstractServerConfigurationBean.java
+++ b/source/java/org/alfresco/filesys/AbstractServerConfigurationBean.java
@@ -139,10 +139,6 @@ public abstract class AbstractServerConfigurationBean extends ServerConfiguratio
   
   protected static final int MaxSessionTimeout    = 60 * 60;  // 1 hour
     
-  // Authentication manager
-  
-  private AuthenticationManager m_authenticationManager;
-  
   // Disk interface to use for shared filesystems
   
   private ExtendedDiskInterface m_repoDiskInterface;
@@ -205,16 +201,6 @@ public abstract class AbstractServerConfigurationBean extends ServerConfiguratio
       super( srvName);
   }
   
-  /**
-   * Set the authentication manager
-   * 
-   * @param authenticationManager AuthenticationManager
-   */
-  public void setAuthenticationManager(AuthenticationManager authenticationManager)
-  {
-      m_authenticationManager = authenticationManager;
-  }
-
   /**
    * Set the authentication service
    * 
@@ -391,11 +377,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractServerConfigurationBean extends ServerConfiguratio
   {
       // Check that all required properties have been set
 	  
-      if (m_authenticationManager == null)
-      {
-          throw new AlfrescoRuntimeException("Property 'authenticationManager' not set");
-      }
-      else if (m_authenticationComponent == null)
+      if (m_authenticationComponent == null)
       {
           throw new AlfrescoRuntimeException("Property 'authenticationComponent' not set");
       }