diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index d0e5ec8..4c2a8eb 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -248,6 +248,11 @@
             <exclude>eclipse-java-formatter.xml</exclude>
             <!-- readme -->
             <exclude>README.adoc</exclude>
+            <!-- certs -->
+            <exclude>src/test/resources/create-certs.sh</exclude>
+            <exclude>src/test/resources/**.pem</exclude>
+            <exclude>src/test/resources/**.srl</exclude>
+            <exclude>src/test/resources/**.jks</exclude>
           </excludes>
         </configuration>
         <executions>
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/teragrep/aer_02/ManagedRelpConnectionWithMetrics.java b/src/main/java/com/teragrep/aer_02/ManagedRelpConnectionWithMetrics.java
index 94ef9c4..bf973e8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/teragrep/aer_02/ManagedRelpConnectionWithMetrics.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/teragrep/aer_02/ManagedRelpConnectionWithMetrics.java
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ public void connect() {
                 context.close();
                 connects.inc();
             }
-            catch (Exception e) {
+            catch (IOException | TimeoutException e) {
                 System.err
                         .println(
                                 "Failed to connect to relp server <[" + relpConnection.relpConfig().relpTarget + "]>:<["
diff --git a/src/test/resources/ca-cert.pem b/src/test/resources/ca-cert.pem
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4102d5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/ca-cert.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
+MIIDOTCCAiGgAwIBAgIUfirhFa1VxOAwJVvbjJj/k/RpshswDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEL
+BQAwKzEcMBoGA1UEAwwTdGVzdC1jYS5leGFtcGxlLmNvbTELMAkGA1UEBhMCRkkw
+IBcNMjQxMjIwMTEzNzUxWhgPMjI5ODEwMDUxMTM3NTFaMCsxHDAaBgNVBAMME3Rl
+c3QtY2EuZXhhbXBsZS5jb20xCzAJBgNVBAYTAkZJMIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEF
+AAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEA4COiDU9fygZNEcqnExU81qr4bO/imHP0XNE2sb7zH5st
++MtEpdpO1eGs/NjmP2TZEV4vCaXpmgW/l5fD+98SIlVJrdEPArvH0FZSwvzwU0gD
+Yn9BcEHFbh4MNMIu/eCEdmXOJU25bcDztMEYsXU2vwVwX5FLHaYXuHt7H1tpSp0P
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+OqUJxGXv/vWWSeVWkY47mT8SWEE6gqGuBHfC8PaFvFJg0NxBUFprKmQB4f+oreyk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+-----END CERTIFICATE-----
diff --git a/src/test/resources/ca-cert.srl b/src/test/resources/ca-cert.srl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..712d95d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/ca-cert.srl
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+4F920BDAD162E2FEED8FA97082C2BB8AE8A1AE45
diff --git a/src/test/resources/ca-key.pem b/src/test/resources/ca-key.pem
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..62f6d78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/ca-key.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
+MIIEvgIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAASCBKgwggSkAgEAAoIBAQDgI6INT1/KBk0R
+yqcTFTzWqvhs7+KYc/Rc0TaxvvMfmy34y0Sl2k7V4az82OY/ZNkRXi8JpemaBb+X
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+wlcrPatQab9wmHVY450HqH/PynDATvPe0ATM6AgL/lGRpSaR7SU+nw1qGMAyKAXk
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+u+Fw8zLO+0Ai1oMCGJbPW6/kRLq/6GTiIYkb5ii5C+DB8wpLIjF8aStOjHhe1KSA
+c7a+QqalB2cFH2MwO4DOYkJy
+-----END PRIVATE KEY-----
diff --git a/src/test/resources/client-cert.pem b/src/test/resources/client-cert.pem
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d62fa21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/client-cert.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
+MIIDLDCCAhSgAwIBAgIUT5IL2tFi4v7tj6lwgsK7iuihrkUwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEL
+BQAwKzEcMBoGA1UEAwwTdGVzdC1jYS5leGFtcGxlLmNvbTELMAkGA1UEBhMCRkkw
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+rOcsQakxMoosJ2NYiNA3plpSC7IPHkbzNdAshnBpEvTNtsuJjRt56Oi0jO2YHhJu
+-----END CERTIFICATE-----
diff --git a/src/test/resources/client-key.pem b/src/test/resources/client-key.pem
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ade4a97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/client-key.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
+MIIEvAIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAASCBKYwggSiAgEAAoIBAQCu8TKI41JW6t18
+tIcIfXpPJhRqy6lzPFmobwCWl21Rrc9xLJDcOQOjySLjhb0G3i/eEn4ZUGdvkO29
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+Ch9ed1trFP4adsIYebnccA==
+-----END PRIVATE KEY-----
diff --git a/src/test/resources/keystore-client.jks b/src/test/resources/keystore-client.jks
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d3acbba
Binary files /dev/null and b/src/test/resources/keystore-client.jks differ
diff --git a/src/test/resources/keystore-server.jks b/src/test/resources/keystore-server.jks
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d9997fd
Binary files /dev/null and b/src/test/resources/keystore-server.jks differ
diff --git a/src/test/resources/server-cert.pem b/src/test/resources/server-cert.pem
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..506be7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/server-cert.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
+MIIDLDCCAhSgAwIBAgIUT5IL2tFi4v7tj6lwgsK7iuihrkQwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEL
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+-----END CERTIFICATE-----
diff --git a/src/test/resources/server-key.pem b/src/test/resources/server-key.pem
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3e3157f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/resources/server-key.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
+MIIEvAIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAASCBKYwggSiAgEAAoIBAQDFTAbcRXimO3A+
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+E+Xwn/rJzjSPayoNXz20YQ==
+-----END PRIVATE KEY-----
diff --git a/src/test/resources/truststore.jks b/src/test/resources/truststore.jks
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b870bc1
Binary files /dev/null and b/src/test/resources/truststore.jks differ