SSL/TCP Sockets

[Trihedralguy]

Sorry this question isn't 100% perl, however I've found that generally the Monks are very wise when it comes to things like this and I really need help! I'm working on a project in which I need to open an SSL / TCP connection via port 7001 to a Windows machine from a Red Hat Linux box. Unfortunately this is the first time I've ever done anything with TCP, let alone working with SSL in a manner that is not HTTPS. I've been mostly trying to open a socket via perl modules (IO::Socket::SSL, etc), however I'm not against trying anything else. I'm not sure exactly where my problem is, I've tried to Telnet-SSL into the box, I receive a prompt and when I type any characters at all, the server instantly "hangs up". I've put a sniffer on the connection and it doesn't appear to be a firewall/network issue. Using the Perl modules, anytime I turn debug on, I get a lot of errors around the hand-shaking process, so much that I assume the connection is not being established at all with SSL.

What am I doing wrong here? Is there a way to start up an SSL conversation to see if at least I can get somewhere? Is there anyway I can prove that the other server is indeed trying to establish an SSL connection as I'm trying to establish a connection with it? or Perhaps I'm not using the right scripts to start the handshaking process?

Again sorry if this is in the wrong place, I'm really stumped, and I've always gotten so much valuable help from the people here, so I thought maybe I could get some assistance. If I can't get any answers here, does anyone have any suggestions towards other places I may get solutions from?

Thanks again for any bits of information anyone can provide!

Tri