BUG: Unable to Consistently Connect to Certain Secure Web Sites Using Pocket Internet Explorer

• Microsoft Windows CE, versions 2.1, 2.11 Embedded ToolKit (ETK)

SYMPTOMS

Pocket Internet Explorer intermittently fails to connect to certain secure Web sites that do not support all secure protocols. The user is able to connect to the site after a device reset but after visiting other sites, a secure connection sometimes cannot be established.

CAUSE

This problem is caused by a bug in the caching of secure connection information, and only affects applications that use the Winsock secure options to enable SSL or PCT on an internet connection. Pocket Internet Explorer is such an application. Protocol settings that are specific to one Web site are sometimes mistakenly used to initiate a connection with another Web site. If the second Web site does not recognize the protocol, it disconnects the connection abruptly.

RESOLUTION

One workaround for this problem is to add the following registry key:


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Comm\SecurityProviders\SCHANNEL]
"ServerCacheTime"=dword:0



This key effectively disables the secure connection caching and prevents the above problem from showing up.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.This problem is fixed in Windows CE 2.12 and later versions. The registry entry mentioned above should not be set for CE 2.12 and later versions, because it will affect the performance of SSL connections.

MORE INFORMATION

To reproduce this problem, direct the browser to a site that supports the SSL3 secure protocol and then immediately go to another https site that only supports SSL2 or PCT. The second secure connection will fail to be established. If you reattempt the connection after a few minutes, it will succeed.

Additional query words:

Keywords :
Version : WINDOWS:2.1,2.11
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug