diff --git a/irods/helpers/__init__.py b/irods/helpers/__init__.py
index 93823a110..8eb432cb1 100644
--- a/irods/helpers/__init__.py
+++ b/irods/helpers/__init__.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import sys
 from irods import env_filename_from_keyword_args
 import irods.exception as ex
-from irods.message import ET, XML_Parser_Type, IRODS_VERSION
+from irods.message import ET, XML_Parser_Type, _IRODS_VERSION
 from irods.path import iRODSPath
 from irods.session import iRODSSession
 
@@ -54,9 +54,12 @@ def make_session(test_server_version=False, **kwargs):
 
     env_file = env_filename_from_keyword_args(kwargs)
     session = iRODSSession(irods_env_file=env_file, **kwargs)
+    # irods.test.helpers version of this function sets test_server_version True by default, so
+    # that sessions generated for the test methods will abort on connecting with a server that
+    # is too recent.  This is a way to ensure that tests don't fail due to a server mismatch.
     if test_server_version:
         connected_version = _get_server_version_for_test(session, curtail_length=3)
-        advertised_version = IRODS_VERSION[:3]
+        advertised_version = _IRODS_VERSION[:3]
         if connected_version > advertised_version:
             msg = (
                 "Connected server is {connected_version}, "
diff --git a/irods/message/__init__.py b/irods/message/__init__.py
index 9b8e0ec80..b8d63798c 100644
--- a/irods/message/__init__.py
+++ b/irods/message/__init__.py
@@ -181,7 +181,15 @@ def ET(xml_type=(), server_version=None):
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-IRODS_VERSION = (5, 0, 2, "d")
+# Advertised server version compatibility.  More recent servers are not guaranteed to work.
+# We avail ourselves of this macro in running tests to abort if the session has connected
+# to a server that is too new.
+
+_IRODS_VERSION = (5, 0, 2, "d")
+
+# This alias exists as a backward-compatible duplicate, but it is slated for deprecation.
+# The symbol is for internal use in testing only, so it should be prefixed with an underline.
+IRODS_VERSION = _IRODS_VERSION
 
 UNICODE = str
 
@@ -473,8 +481,8 @@ def __init__(self, proxy_user, client_user, application_name=""):
             self.connectCnt = 0
             self.proxyUser, self.proxyRcatZone = proxy_user
             self.clientUser, self.clientRcatZone = client_user
-            self.relVersion = "rods{}.{}.{}".format(*IRODS_VERSION)
-            self.apiVersion = "{3}".format(*IRODS_VERSION)
+            self.relVersion = "rods{}.{}.{}".format(*_IRODS_VERSION)
+            self.apiVersion = "{3}".format(*_IRODS_VERSION)
             self.option = application_name
 
     irodsProt = IntegerProperty()
diff --git a/irods/test/helpers.py b/irods/test/helpers.py
index 8b92738fb..4cca53cdb 100644
--- a/irods/test/helpers.py
+++ b/irods/test/helpers.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 from irods.helpers import (
     home_collection,
     make_session as _irods_helpers_make_session)
-from irods.message import iRODSMessage, IRODS_VERSION
+from irods.message import iRODSMessage
 from irods.password_obfuscation import encode
 import irods.rule
 from irods.session import iRODSSession