diff --git a/spec/clustering/follower_spec.cr b/spec/clustering/follower_spec.cr
index 20b73a39c0..915990ffd3 100644
--- a/spec/clustering/follower_spec.cr
+++ b/spec/clustering/follower_spec.cr
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@ require "../spec_helper"
 require "lz4"
 
 module FollowerSpec
-  def self.sha1(str : String)
-    sha1 = Digest::SHA1.new
-    hash = Bytes.new(sha1.digest_size)
-    sha1.update str.to_slice
-    sha1.final hash
-    sha1.reset
+  def self.checksum(str : String)
+    algo = Digest::CRC32.new
+    hash = Bytes.new(algo.digest_size)
+    algo.update str.to_slice
+    algo.final hash
+    algo.reset
     hash
   end
 
@@ -23,13 +23,13 @@ module FollowerSpec
     def initialize(data_dir : String, files_with_hash : Hash(String, Bytes)? = nil,
                    @with_file : Hash(String, FileType) = DEFAULT_WITH_FILE)
       @files_with_hash = files_with_hash || Hash(String, Bytes){
-        File.join(data_dir, "file1") => FollowerSpec.sha1("hash1"),
-        File.join(data_dir, "file2") => FollowerSpec.sha1("hash2"),
-        File.join(data_dir, "file3") => FollowerSpec.sha1("hash3"),
+        File.join(data_dir, "file1") => FollowerSpec.checksum("hash1"),
+        File.join(data_dir, "file2") => FollowerSpec.checksum("hash2"),
+        File.join(data_dir, "file3") => FollowerSpec.checksum("hash3"),
       }
     end
 
-    def files_with_hash(& : Tuple(String, Bytes) -> Nil)
+    def files_with_hash(algo : Digest, & : Tuple(String, Bytes) -> Nil)
       @files_with_hash.each do |values|
         yield values
       end
@@ -113,6 +113,9 @@ module FollowerSpec
           response.should eq 0u8
         end
       end
+
+      it "can negotiate older protocol version" do
+      end
     end
   end
 
@@ -132,7 +135,7 @@ module FollowerSpec
           loop do
             len = client_lz4.read_bytes Int32, IO::ByteFormat::LittleEndian
             break if len == 0
-            hash = Bytes.new(20)
+            hash = Bytes.new(4)
             path = client_lz4.read_string len
             client_lz4.read_fully hash
             file_list[path] = hash
diff --git a/src/lavinmq/clustering.cr b/src/lavinmq/clustering.cr
index 5d038246d3..7fac75f535 100644
--- a/src/lavinmq/clustering.cr
+++ b/src/lavinmq/clustering.cr
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@ require "digest/sha1"
 
 module LavinMQ
   module Clustering
-    Start = Bytes['R'.ord, 'E'.ord, 'P'.ord, 'L'.ord, 'I'.ord, 1, 0, 0]
+    Start100 = Bytes['R'.ord, 'E'.ord, 'P'.ord, 'L'.ord, 'I'.ord, 1, 0, 0]
+    Start    = Bytes['R'.ord, 'E'.ord, 'P'.ord, 'L'.ord, 'I'.ord, 1, 0, 1]
 
     class Error < Exception; end
 
diff --git a/src/lavinmq/clustering/client.cr b/src/lavinmq/clustering/client.cr
index 6e5e88c092..6e96eb9ec1 100644
--- a/src/lavinmq/clustering/client.cr
+++ b/src/lavinmq/clustering/client.cr
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ module LavinMQ
       @unix_http_proxy : Proxy?
       @socket : TCPSocket?
       @streamed_bytes = 0_u64
+      @version : Bytes = Start
 
       def initialize(@config : Config, @id : Int32, @password : String, proxy = true)
         System.maximize_fd_limit
@@ -76,16 +77,24 @@ module LavinMQ
           @socket = socket = TCPSocket.new(host, port)
           socket.sync = true
           socket.read_buffering = false
+          Log.info { "Connected" }
+          authenticate(socket)
+          Log.info { "Authenticated" }
+          set_socket_opts(socket)
           lz4 = Compress::LZ4::Reader.new(socket)
           sync(socket, lz4)
           Log.info { "Streaming changes" }
           stream_changes(socket, lz4)
+        rescue ex : ProtocolVersionError
+          Log.info { "Leader is running an older replication protocol: #{String.new(ex.version).dump}" }
+          @version = ex.version
         rescue ex : IO::Error
-          lz4.try &.close
-          socket.try &.close
           break if @closed
           Log.info { "Disconnected from server #{host}:#{port} (#{ex}), retrying..." }
           sleep 1.seconds
+        ensure
+          lz4.try &.close
+          socket.try &.close
         end
       end
 
@@ -104,10 +113,6 @@ module LavinMQ
       end
 
       private def sync(socket, lz4)
-        Log.info { "Connected" }
-        authenticate(socket)
-        Log.info { "Authenticated" }
-        set_socket_opts(socket)
         sync_files(socket, lz4)
         Log.info { "Bulk synchronised" }
         sync_files(socket, lz4)
@@ -125,9 +130,9 @@ module LavinMQ
 
       private def sync_files(socket, lz4)
         Log.info { "Waiting for list of files" }
-        sha1 = Digest::SHA1.new
-        remote_hash = Bytes.new(sha1.digest_size)
-        local_hash = Bytes.new(sha1.digest_size)
+        checksum_algo = @version == Start ? Digest::CRC32.new : Digest::SHA1.new
+        remote_hash = Bytes.new(checksum_algo.digest_size)
+        local_hash = Bytes.new(checksum_algo.digest_size)
         files_to_delete = ls_r(@data_dir)
         missing_files = Array(String).new
         loop do
@@ -139,9 +144,9 @@ module LavinMQ
           path = File.join(@data_dir, filename)
           files_to_delete.delete(path)
           if File.exists? path
-            sha1.file(path)
-            sha1.final(local_hash)
-            sha1.reset
+            checksum_algo.file(path)
+            checksum_algo.final(local_hash)
+            checksum_algo.reset
             if local_hash != remote_hash
               Log.info { "Mismatching hash: #{path}" }
               move_to_backup path
@@ -268,13 +273,21 @@ module LavinMQ
       end
 
       private def authenticate(socket)
-        socket.write Start
+        socket.write @version
         socket.write_bytes @password.bytesize.to_u8, IO::ByteFormat::LittleEndian
         socket.write @password.to_slice
         case socket.read_byte
         when 0 # ok
         when 1   then raise AuthenticationError.new
         when nil then raise IO::EOFError.new
+        when 'R'.ord
+          buf = uninitialized UInt8[7]
+          socket.read(buf.to_slice)
+          if buf == Start100[1, -1]
+            raise ProtocolVersionError.new(Start100)
+          else
+            raise Error.new("Unknown response from authentication: #{String.new(buf.to_slice).dump}")
+          end
         else
           raise Error.new("Unknown response from authentication")
         end
@@ -299,6 +312,14 @@ module LavinMQ
           super("Authentication error")
         end
       end
+
+      class ProtocolVersionError < Error
+        getter version
+
+        def initialize(@version : Bytes)
+          super("Protocol version: #{String.new(@version).dump}")
+        end
+      end
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/src/lavinmq/clustering/file_index.cr b/src/lavinmq/clustering/file_index.cr
index e3db418bed..d475cc382e 100644
--- a/src/lavinmq/clustering/file_index.cr
+++ b/src/lavinmq/clustering/file_index.cr
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 module LavinMQ
   module Clustering
     module FileIndex
-      abstract def files_with_hash(& : Tuple(String, Bytes) -> Nil)
+      abstract def files_with_hash(algo : Digest, & : Tuple(String, Bytes) -> Nil)
       abstract def with_file(filename : String, & : MFile | File | Nil -> Nil) : Nil
     end
   end
diff --git a/src/lavinmq/clustering/follower.cr b/src/lavinmq/clustering/follower.cr
index e06a831fdb..cf37bf8220 100644
--- a/src/lavinmq/clustering/follower.cr
+++ b/src/lavinmq/clustering/follower.cr
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ require "./file_index"
 require "../config"
 require "socket"
 require "wait_group"
+require "lz4"
+require "digest/crc32"
+require "digest/sha1"
 
 module LavinMQ
   module Clustering
@@ -23,8 +26,10 @@ module LavinMQ
         @lz4 = Compress::LZ4::Writer.new(@socket, Compress::LZ4::CompressOptions.new(auto_flush: false, block_mode_linked: true))
       end
 
+      @checksum_algo : Digest = Digest::CRC32.new
+
       def negotiate!(password) : Nil
-        validate_header!
+        @checksum_algo = validate_header!
         authenticate!(password)
         @id = @socket.read_bytes Int32, IO::ByteFormat::LittleEndian
         @socket.tcp_nodelay = true
@@ -74,11 +79,16 @@ module LavinMQ
         len
       end
 
-      private def validate_header! : Nil
+      private def validate_header! : Digest
         buf = uninitialized UInt8[8]
         slice = buf.to_slice
         @socket.read_fully(slice)
-        if slice != Start
+        case slice
+        when Start
+          Digest::CRC32.new
+        when Start100
+          Digest::SHA1.new
+        else
           @socket.write(Start)
           raise InvalidStartHeaderError.new(slice)
         end
@@ -99,7 +109,7 @@ module LavinMQ
 
       private def send_file_list(socket = @lz4)
         count = 0
-        @file_index.files_with_hash do |path, hash|
+        @file_index.files_with_hash(@checksum_algo) do |path, hash|
           count &+= 1
           path = path[@data_dir.bytesize + 1..]
           socket.write_bytes path.bytesize.to_i32, IO::ByteFormat::LittleEndian
diff --git a/src/lavinmq/clustering/server.cr b/src/lavinmq/clustering/server.cr
index 7834b28cfe..b0b99245e6 100644
--- a/src/lavinmq/clustering/server.cr
+++ b/src/lavinmq/clustering/server.cr
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ module LavinMQ
     # When a follower connects:
     # It sends a static header (wrong header disconnects the client)
     # It sends its password (servers closes the connection if the password is wrong)
-    # Server sends a list of files in its data directory and the sha1 hash of those files
+    # Server sends a list of files in its data directory and the crc32 hash of those files
     # Client requests files that is missing or has mismatching checksums of
     # In the meantime the server queues up changes (all publishes/consumes are paused)
     # When client doesn't request more files starts to stream changes
@@ -71,13 +71,12 @@ module LavinMQ
         each_follower &.delete(path)
       end
 
-      def files_with_hash(& : Tuple(String, Bytes) -> Nil)
-        sha1 = Digest::SHA1.new
-        hash = Bytes.new(sha1.digest_size)
+      def files_with_hash(algo : Digest, & : Tuple(String, Bytes) -> Nil)
+        hash = Bytes.new(algo.digest_size)
         @files.each_key do |path|
-          sha1.file path
-          sha1.final hash
-          sha1.reset
+          algo.file path
+          algo.final hash
+          algo.reset
           yield({path, hash})
         end
       end