SUSEConnect error: Errno::ECONNRESET: Connection reset by peer - SSL_connect

Registering a SLE 12 based server using SUSEConnect command fails with the following error messages:

   # SUSEConnect -r <registration code> -e <email address> --debug
   ...........
   opening connection to scc.suse.com:443...
   opened
   starting SSL for scc.suse.com:443...
   SSL established
   Conn close because of connect error Connection reset by peer - SSL_connect
   Output: 'sle-12-x86_64'
   SUSEConnect error: Errno::ECONNRESET: Connection reset by peer - SSL_connect
   /usr/lib64/ruby/2.1.0/net/http.rb:920:in `connect'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/2.1.0/net/http.rb:920:in `block in connect'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/2.1.0/timeout.rb:76:in `timeout'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/2.1.0/net/http.rb:920:in `connect'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/2.1.0/net/http.rb:863:in `do_start'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/2.1.0/net/http.rb:852:in `start'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/2.1.0/net/http.rb:1369:in `request'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/2.1.0/gems/suse-connect-0.2.27/lib/suse/connect/connection.rb:60:in `json_request'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/2.1.0/gems/suse-connect-0.2.27/lib/suse/connect/connection.rb:42:in `block (2 levels) in <class:Connection>'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/2.1.0/gems/suse-connect-0.2.27/lib/suse/connect/api.rb:47:in `announce_system'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/2.1.0/gems/suse-connect-0.2.27/lib/suse/connect/client.rb:48:in `announce_system'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/2.1.0/gems/suse-connect-0.2.27/lib/suse/connect/client.rb:142:in `announce_or_update'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/2.1.0/gems/suse-connect-0.2.27/lib/suse/connect/client.rb:26:in `register!'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/2.1.0/gems/suse-connect-0.2.27/lib/suse/connect/cli.rb:42:in `execute!'
   /usr/lib64/ruby/gems/2.1.0/gems/suse-connect-0.2.27/bin/SUSEConnect:11:in `<top (required)>'
   /usr/sbin/SUSEConnect:23:in `load'
   /usr/sbin/SUSEConnect:23:in `<main>'

The curl command shows the following error messages:

   # /usr/bin/curl --verbose --capath /etc/ssl/certs/ --digest --remote-time --fail https://scc.suse.com/
   * Hostname was NOT found in DNS cache
     % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                    Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
     0     0    0     0    0     0      0      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--     0*   Trying 130.57.66.27...
   * Connected to scc.suse.com (130.57.66.27) port 443 (#0)
   * successfully set certificate verify locations:
   *   CAfile: none
     CApath: /etc/ssl/certs/
   * SSLv3, TLS handshake, Client hello (1):
   } [data not shown]
   * Unknown SSL protocol error in connection to scc.suse.com:443
     0     0    0     0    0     0      0      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--     0
   * Closing connection 0
   curl: (35) Unknown SSL protocol error in connection to scc.suse.com:443

A test using "openssl s_client -connect" command aborts with:

   # openssl s_client -connect scc.suse.com:443 -showcerts -servername scc.suse.com
   CONNECTED(00000003)
   ---
   no peer certificate available
   ---
   No client certificate CA names sent
   ---
   SSL handshake has read 0 bytes and written 282 bytes
   ---
   New, (NONE), Cipher is (NONE)
   Secure Renegotiation IS NOT supported
   Compression: NONE
   Expansion: NONE