Configuring Tomcat to use log4j2 - not working, probably a trivial error in log4j2.xml

A couple months ago I had no problem configuring Tomcat 9 with java 16 
to use log4j2.

That time I simply deleted tomcat/conf/*logging.properties*, added to 
*tomcat/lib* the following files and it worked.

  * log4j-api-2.*.jar
  * log4j-core-2.*.jar
  * log4j-appserver-2.*.jar
  * log4j2.xml

Now I am setting up a new tomcat 9.0.56 with java 17 and log4j 2.17.1, 
followed the same steps with one difference... I tweaked the log4j2.xml 
to try to make it cleaner and easier to maintain/adjust.

Unfortunately my new setup is failing to log anything at all. The only 
place where I see something is on the console and it looks like it is 
not even log4j output as it does not match the pattern I expected.  I 
think I am misunderstanding something about the use of properties in a 
log4j2.xml file or I have some really dumb typo.

I hope someone can give a glance at the following and tell me where I 
messed up:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Configuration status="INFO"> <!-- used for internal log4j2 logging, not 
related to apps or server -->
   <Properties>
     <Property name="appslogdir">D:/work/app-j17t9-C/logs</Property>
     <Property 
name="appsarchivedir">D:/work/app-j17t9-C/logs/archive</Property>
     <Property 
name="serverlogdir">D:/work/app-j17t9-C/logs/server</Property>
     <Property 
name="serverarchivedir">D:/work/app-j17t9-C/logs/server/archive</Property>
     <Property name="layout">%d %-5p [%C] %m%n</Property>
     <Property name="rolloversize">10 MB</Property>
   </Properties>
   <Appenders>
     <Console name="CONSOLE" target="SYSTEM_OUT">
       <PatternLayout pattern="${layout}"/>
     </Console>
     <RollingFile name="FILE" fileName="${appslogdir}/apps.txt" 
filePattern="${appsarchivedir}/$${date:yyyy-MM}/apps-%d{MM-dd-yyyy}-%i.log.gz">
       <PatternLayout pattern="${layout}">
       <Policies>
        <TimeBasedTriggeringPolicy />
        <SizeBasedTriggeringPolicy size="${rolloversize}"/>
       </Policies>
       <DefaultRolloverStrategy max="24"/>
     </RollingFile>
     <RollingFile name="EMAIL" fileName="${appslogdir}/email.txt" 
filePattern="${appsarchivedir}/$${date:yyyy-MM}/email-%d{MM-dd-yyyy}-%i.log.gz">
       <PatternLayout pattern="${layout}">
       <Policies>
        <TimeBasedTriggeringPolicy />
        <SizeBasedTriggeringPolicy size="${rolloversize}"/>
       </Policies>
       <DefaultRolloverStrategy max="24"/>
     </RollingFile>
     <!-- TOMCAT server appenders -->
     <RollingFile name="CATALINA" 
fileName="${serverlogdir}/catalina.txt" 
filePattern="${serverarchivedir}/$${date:yyyy-MM}/catalina-%d{MM-dd-yyyy}-%i.log.gz">
       <PatternLayout pattern="${layout}"/>
       <Policies>
        <TimeBasedTriggeringPolicy />
        <SizeBasedTriggeringPolicy size="${rolloversize}"/>
       </Policies>
       <DefaultRolloverStrategy max="24"/>
     </RollingFile>
     <RollingFile name="LOCALHOST" 
fileName="${serverlogdir}/localhost.txt" 
filePattern="${serverarchivedir}/$${date:yyyy-MM}/localhost-%d{MM-dd-yyyy}-%i.log.gz">
       <PatternLayout pattern="${layout}"/>
       <Policies>
        <TimeBasedTriggeringPolicy />
        <SizeBasedTriggeringPolicy size="${rolloversize}"/>
       </Policies>
       <DefaultRolloverStrategy max="24"/>
     </RollingFile>
     <RollingFile name="MANAGER" fileName="${serverlogdir}/manager.txt" 
filePattern="${serverarchivedir}/$${date:yyyy-MM}/manager-%d{MM-dd-yyyy}-%i.log.gz">
       <PatternLayout pattern="${layout}"/>
       <Policies>
        <TimeBasedTriggeringPolicy />
        <SizeBasedTriggeringPolicy size="${rolloversize}"/>
       </Policies>
       <DefaultRolloverStrategy max="24"/>
     </RollingFile>
     <RollingFile name="HOSTMANAGER" 
fileName="${serverlogdir}/host-manager.txt" 
filePattern="${serverarchivedir}/$${date:yyyy-MM}/host-manager-%d{MM-dd-yyyy}-%i.log.gz">
       <PatternLayout pattern="${layout}"/>
       <Policies>
        <TimeBasedTriggeringPolicy />
        <SizeBasedTriggeringPolicy size="${rolloversize}"/>
       </Policies>
       <DefaultRolloverStrategy max="24"/>
     </RollingFile>
   </Appenders>
   <Loggers>
     <Root level="info">
     <!-- Root level="error" -->
       <AppenderRef ref="CONSOLE"/>
       <AppenderRef ref="FILE"/>
     </Root>
     <!-- avoid duplicated logs with additivity=false -->
     <Logger name="net.cndc" level="debug" additivity="false">
       <AppenderRef ref="CONSOLE"/>
       <AppenderRef ref="FILE"/>
     </Logger>
     <!-- OPEN SOURCE LIBRARY loggers -->
     <Logger name="org.springframework" level="warn"/>
     <!-- TOMCAT SERVER loggers -->
     <Logger 
name="org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.[Catalina].[localhost]" 
level="info" additivity="false">
       <AppenderRef ref="LOCALHOST" />
     </Logger>
     <Logger 
name="org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.[Catalina].[localhost].[/manager]" 
level="info" additivity="false">
       <AppenderRef ref="MANAGER" />
     </Logger>
     <Logger 
name="org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.[Catalina].[localhost].[/host-manager]" 
level="info" additivity="false">
       <AppenderRef ref="HOSTMANAGER" />
     </Logger>
     <Logger name="org.apache.catalina" level="info" additivity="false"> 
<!-- Might need to tweak this, normally is Root -->
       <AppenderRef ref="CATALINA" />
     </Logger>
   </Loggers>
</Configuration>