diff --git a/src/XrdSys/XrdSysPlugin.cc b/src/XrdSys/XrdSysPlugin.cc
index 80219ea6f29..c5ccc4fd393 100644
--- a/src/XrdSys/XrdSysPlugin.cc
+++ b/src/XrdSys/XrdSysPlugin.cc
@@ -105,9 +105,11 @@ XrdSysPlugin::cvResult XrdSysPlugin::chkVersion(XrdVersionInfo &urInfo,
                                                 void           *lHandle)
 {
    static XrdVersionPlugin vInfo[] = {XrdVERSIONPLUGINRULES};
+   static XrdVersionPlugin vNote[] = {XrdVERSIONPLUGINMAXIMS};
+   XrdVersionPlugin *vinP;
    char buff[1024], vName[256];
    void *vP;
-   int  i, n, pMajor, vMajor, pMinor, vMinor;
+   int  i, n=0, pMajor, vMajor, pMinor, vMinor;
 
 // If no version information supplied, skip version check
 //
@@ -117,12 +119,27 @@ XrdSysPlugin::cvResult XrdSysPlugin::chkVersion(XrdVersionInfo &urInfo,
 //
    i = 0;
    while(vInfo[i].pName && strcmp(vInfo[i].pName, pname)) i++;
-   if (!vInfo[i].pName) return cvNone;
-   if ( vInfo[i].vProcess == XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_DoNotChk) return cvDirty;
+
+// If we didn't find it in the rules table then try to match the maxims
+//
+   if (!vInfo[i].pName)
+      {i = 0; n = strlen(pname);
+       while(vNote[i].pName)
+            {if ((vNote[i].vPfxLen + vNote[i].vSfxLen <= n)
+             &&  !strncmp(vNote[i].pName, pname, vNote[i].vPfxLen)
+             &&  !strncmp(vNote[i].pName+vNote[i].vPfxLen,
+                   pname + n - vNote[i].vSfxLen, vNote[i].vSfxLen)) break;
+             i++;
+            }
+             vinP = &vNote[i];
+      } else vinP = &vInfo[i];
+
+   if (!(vinP->pName)) return cvNone;
+   if ( vinP->vProcess == XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_DoNotChk) return cvDirty;
 
 // Construct the version entry point
 //
-   n = strlen(pname);
+   if (!n) n = strlen(pname);
    if (n+sizeof(XrdVERSIONINFOSFX) > sizeof(vName))
       return libMsg("Unable to generate version name for", "%s in ", pname);
    strcpy(vName, pname); strcpy(vName+n, XrdVERSIONINFOSFX);
@@ -130,7 +147,7 @@ XrdSysPlugin::cvResult XrdSysPlugin::chkVersion(XrdVersionInfo &urInfo,
 // Find the version number
 //
    if (!(vP = dlsym(lHandle, vName)))
-      {if (vInfo[i].vProcess != XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Required) return cvMissing;
+      {if (vinP->vProcess != XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Required) return cvMissing;
        return libMsg(dlerror()," required version information for %s in ",pname);
       }
 
@@ -171,9 +188,9 @@ XrdSysPlugin::cvResult XrdSysPlugin::chkVersion(XrdVersionInfo &urInfo,
 
 // The major version must always be compatible
 //
-   if ((vInfo[i].vMajLow >= 0 && pMajor <  vInfo[i].vMajLow)
-   ||  (vInfo[i].vMajLow <  0 && pMajor != vMajor))
-      return badVersion(urInfo, '>', vInfo[i].vMajLow, vInfo[i].vMinLow);
+   if ((vinP->vMajLow >= 0 && pMajor <  vinP->vMajLow)
+   ||  (vinP->vMajLow <  0 && pMajor != vMajor))
+      return badVersion(urInfo, '>', vinP->vMajLow, vinP->vMinLow);
 
 // The major version may not be greater than our versin
 //
@@ -181,7 +198,7 @@ XrdSysPlugin::cvResult XrdSysPlugin::chkVersion(XrdVersionInfo &urInfo,
 
 // If we do not need to check minor versions then we are done
 //
-   if (vInfo[i].vMinLow > 99) return cvClean;
+   if (vinP->vMinLow > 99) return cvClean;
 
 // In no case can the plug-in mnor version be greater than our version
 //
@@ -190,12 +207,12 @@ XrdSysPlugin::cvResult XrdSysPlugin::chkVersion(XrdVersionInfo &urInfo,
 
 // Verify compatible minor versions
 //
-   if ((vInfo[i].vMinLow >= 0 && pMinor >= vInfo[i].vMinLow)
-   ||  (vInfo[i].vMinLow <  0 && pMinor == vMinor)) return cvClean;
+   if ((vinP->vMinLow >= 0 && pMinor >= vinP->vMinLow)
+   ||  (vinP->vMinLow <  0 && pMinor == vMinor)) return cvClean;
 
 // Incompatible versions
 //
-   return badVersion(urInfo, '>', vInfo[i].vMajLow, vInfo[i].vMinLow);
+   return badVersion(urInfo, '>', vinP->vMajLow, vinP->vMinLow);
 }
 
 /******************************************************************************/
diff --git a/src/XrdVersionPlugin.hh b/src/XrdVersionPlugin.hh
index 10e2cb5e9d5..747d91715da 100644
--- a/src/XrdVersionPlugin.hh
+++ b/src/XrdVersionPlugin.hh
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@
 */
    struct XrdVersionPlugin
          {const char *pName;    //!< -> plugin object creator function name
+          char        vPfxLen;  //!< Generic rule prefix length
+          char        vSfxLen;  //!< Generic rule suffix length for preceeding
           int         vProcess; //!< version: <0 skip, =0 optional, >0 required
           short       vMajLow;  //!< Lowest compatible major version number
           short       vMinLow;  //!< Lowest compatible minor (>99 don't check).
@@ -54,9 +56,9 @@
 #define XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Required  1
 
 #define XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Rule(procMode, majorVer, minorVer, piSymbol)\
-           {#piSymbol, XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_##procMode, majorVer, minorVer},
+           {#piSymbol, 0, 0, XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_##procMode, majorVer, minorVer},
 
-/* Each rule must be defined by the XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_RULE macro which takes four
+/* Each rule must be defined by the XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Rule macro which takes four
    arguments, as follows:
 
    procMode: Version procsessing mode:
@@ -115,7 +117,33 @@
         XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Rule(Required,  4,  0, XrdSfsGetFileSystem           )\
         XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Rule(Required,  3,  0, XrdClGetMonitor               )\
         XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Rule(Required,  4,  0, XrdClGetPlugIn                )\
-                             {       0,  0,  0, 0}
+                             { 0, 0, 0,  0,  0, 0}
+
+#define XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Maxim(procMode, majorVer, minorVer, piPfx, piSfx)\
+           {#piPfx #piSfx, strlen(#piPfx), strlen(#piSfx),\
+            XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_##procMode, majorVer, minorVer},
+
+/* Each generic rule must be defined by the XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Maxim macro which
+   takes five arguments. The first three are exactly the same as defined for
+   XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Rule. The last two define a pefix/suffix match for the
+   symbol being looked up, as follows:
+
+   piPfx:    The leading  characters of the plugin's object creator's unquoted
+             function name. When this symbol is looked-up, the defined version
+             rule is applied if the suffix, if any, also matches.
+
+   piSfx:    The trailing characters of the plugin's object creator's unquoted
+             function name. When this symbol is looked-up, the defined version
+             rule is applied if the prefix, if any, also matches.
+
+   Note: An attempt is made to match the symbol using specific rules defined
+         by XRDVERSIONPLUGIN_Rule before using any generic rules. If a match
+         is found the same processing as for specific rules is applied.
+*/
+#define XrdVERSIONPLUGINMAXIMS\
+        XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Maxim(DoNotChk,  4,  0, XrdSecProtocol, Init         )\
+        XrdVERSIONPLUGIN_Maxim(Required,  4,  0, XrdSecProtocol, Object       )\
+                             { 0, 0, 0,  0,  0, 0}
 
 /* The following defines the bundled security plug-ins. These are always
    versioned. Any security plug-in not listed here is assumed to be versioned