SSH algorthm

Anyone know of a good site that would explain how the SSL algorthm works? Like say I want to write a server that supports SSL, I need to know the algorthm so I can encrypt/decrypt the packets before sending. Also need to know how to deal with certificates and all that.

I'm not ready to get into cryptology yet, but I just come to the conclusion that mail servers are WAY more complicated then they need to be so I'll eventually code my own but I want it to support SSL (for the Imap/POP as well as SMTP function).

Take a look at OpenSSL - it should provide you with everything you need to add SSL capabilities to your software.