Generic SSL/TLS client

openssl command-line tool can be used as a generic TLS/SSL client which connects to a remote host using TLS/SSL.
It's Windows version can be downloaded at http://www.slproweb.com/products/Win32OpenSSL.html.
For example:

openssl s_client -host HOSTNAME -port PORT -cert hostcert.pem -key hostkey.pem

or

openssl.exe s_client -host HOSTNAME -port PORT -cert hostcert.pem -key hostkey.pem -CAfile trustedCertificates.pem</div>

More details could be received using the -msg and -debug options.
The detailed description of this mode can be found at https://www.openssl.org/docs/manmaster/man1/s_client.html.

SSL/TLS in detail

This article provides a detailed explanation of the TLS/SSL protocol, specifically the handshake protocol, its associated messages and alerts, and the record protocol.