diff --git a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/decoder/about/GSVersionDecoder.java b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/decoder/about/GSVersionDecoder.java
index 6f8eafb..ba0c866 100644
--- a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/decoder/about/GSVersionDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/decoder/about/GSVersionDecoder.java
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ import org.jdom.Element;
 public class GSVersionDecoder extends XmlElement {
     public final static String ABOUT = "about";
 
-    final private GSAboutResource geoserver;
+    private GSAboutResource geoserver;
 
     public class GSAboutResource extends XmlElement {
         public final static String RESOURCE = "resource";
@@ -52,10 +52,14 @@ public class GSVersionDecoder extends XmlElement {
 
         public final static String VERSION = "Version";
 
-        final private Element version;
+        private Element version;
 
         public GSAboutResource() {
-            super(RESOURCE);
+            create();
+        }
+        
+        private void create(){
+            setRoot(RESOURCE);
             version = new Element(VERSION);
             addContent(version);
         }
@@ -78,8 +82,14 @@ public class GSVersionDecoder extends XmlElement {
         }
 
         public GSAboutResource(Element el) {
-            super(el);
-            version = ElementUtils.contains(el, GSAboutResource.VERSION);
+            super();
+            if (el!=null){
+                setRoot(el);
+                version = ElementUtils.contains(el, GSAboutResource.VERSION);
+            } else {
+                create();
+                setVersion(GSVersionDecoder.VERSION.UNRECOGNIZED.toString());
+            }
         }
         
         public void setVersion(String v){
@@ -94,13 +104,22 @@ public class GSVersionDecoder extends XmlElement {
      * @param document
      */
     public GSVersionDecoder(String document) {
-        super(JDOMBuilder.buildElement(document));
-        geoserver = new GSAboutResource(ElementUtils.contains(this.getRoot(),
-                GSAboutResource.RESOURCE));
+        Element root=JDOMBuilder.buildElement(document);
+        if (root!=null){
+            setRoot(root);
+            geoserver = new GSAboutResource(ElementUtils.contains(this.getRoot(),
+                    GSAboutResource.RESOURCE));
+        }else {
+            create();
+        }
     }
 
     public GSVersionDecoder() {
-        super("about");
+        create();
+    }
+    
+    private void create(){
+        setRoot("about");
         geoserver = new GSAboutResource();
         addContent(geoserver.getRoot());
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/encoder/utils/XmlElement.java b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/encoder/utils/XmlElement.java
index ce6573e..63c6d91 100644
--- a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/encoder/utils/XmlElement.java
+++ b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/encoder/utils/XmlElement.java
@@ -39,9 +39,10 @@ import org.jdom.output.XMLOutputter;
  */
 public class XmlElement{
 	
-	private final Element root;
+	private Element root;
 	
-	private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 	
 	private final static XMLOutputter OUTPUTTER = new XMLOutputter(Format.getCompactFormat());
 	
@@ -52,14 +53,34 @@ public class XmlElement{
     public XmlElement(final Element e) {
         root = e;
     }
+    
+    /**
+     * Empty constructor:<br/>
+     * Use {@link #setRoot()} to initialize the root
+     */
+    protected XmlElement() {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * update the root of this node
+     * @param root
+     */
+    protected void setRoot(final Element root) {
+        this.root = root;
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * update the root of this node
+     * @param name is the name of the root node
+     */
+    protected void setRoot(final String name){
+        root=new Element(name);
+    }
 
 	public Element getRoot(){
 		return root;
 	}
 	
-	@SuppressWarnings("unused")
-	private XmlElement(){root=null;};
-	
 	protected void add(final String nodename, final String nodetext) {
     	add(nodename,new Text(nodetext));
     }
diff --git a/src/test/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/decoder/VersionDecoderTest.java b/src/test/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/decoder/VersionDecoderTest.java
index 7e922d2..1e5149a 100644
--- a/src/test/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/decoder/VersionDecoderTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/decoder/VersionDecoderTest.java
@@ -66,6 +66,10 @@ public class VersionDecoderTest extends GeoserverRESTTest {
         Assert.assertEquals(GSVersionDecoder.VERSION.v23, dec.getVersion());
         Assert.assertEquals("_CustomGeoServerName_", dec.getGeoServer().getName());
         
+        dec=new GSVersionDecoder(null);
+        Assert.assertEquals(GSVersionDecoder.VERSION.UNRECOGNIZED, dec.getVersion());
+        Assert.assertEquals(null, dec.getGeoServer().getName());
+        
         //print(dec.getRoot());
     }