comments to explain _IRODS_VERSION

Author: d-w-moore

irods/helpers/__init__.py

@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ 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]

irods/message/__init__.py

@@ -181,6 +181,10 @@ def ET(xml_type=(), server_version=None):
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+# 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")
 
 UNICODE = str