Question Best way to make newer client connect to proxy

[Tennessine]

My server network has a bunch of backend servers that run Paper 1.20.2. The problem is Velocity was never officially made to run 1.20.2. The latest version it's aware of is 1.20.1. So when a client that is running 1.20.2 tries to join (even though the backend servers are running 1.20.2) it gives the client an error "Incompatible client! Please use 1.7.2-1.20.1."

What makes this more complicated is each backend server has ViaVersion, ViaBackwards, and ViaRewind to allow clients running 1.8 - 1.20 to join the 1.20 server. ViaVersion says to only have the Via* plugins on the backend servers OR the proxy (not sure if the or means I can have the Via* plugins on both the backend and proxy servers. I just dropped the ViaVersion plugin alone into the proxy and it allowed the 1.20.2 client to join. But, is this the best way to fix this? Or do I just need to change something in the config files? And for whatever reason this is not recommended by ViaVersion? I think I just need some clarification on this issue

Like what would a big server network that uses Velocity do when any client that is on the latest version of Minecraft tries to join? They wouldn't be able to. Would they just do this ViaVersion fix?

 

[loranger]

Velocity 3.2.0-SNAPSHOT build 266 was just released and support 1.20.2

 

[Tennessine]

Velocity 3.2.0-SNAPSHOT build 266 was just released and support 1.20.2

Yeah, that’s good, but I’m talking about the time period before Velocity with the latest version is released.

Also, if the network is always running, I don’t even know how you would switch out the proxy to run the newer version. I suppose you could run the newer proxy and when the players log on they instead go to the new one that might have to have its own set of servers. The players that logged on to the old system would remain there until they reconnect.

I’m sure that’s one of the reasons why the big server networks use 1.8 servers and just have newer clients connect to allow 1.8-1.20 instead of doing what I’m doing and having older clients connect