SSL_SESSION_free(3)						      OpenSSL						       SSL_SESSION_free(3)

NAME

       SSL_SESSION_free - free an allocated SSL_SESSION structure

SYNOPSIS

	#include <openssl/ssl.h>

	void SSL_SESSION_free(SSL_SESSION *session);

DESCRIPTION

       SSL_SESSION_free() decrements the reference count of session and removes the SSL_SESSION structure pointed to by session and frees up the
       allocated memory, if the the reference count has reached 0.

NOTES

       SSL_SESSION objects are allocated, when a TLS/SSL handshake operation is successfully completed. Depending on the settings, see
       SSL_CTX_set_session_cache_mode(3), the SSL_SESSION objects are internally referenced by the SSL_CTX and linked into its session cache. SSL
       objects may be using the SSL_SESSION object; as a session may be reused, several SSL objects may be using one SSL_SESSION object at the
       same time. It is therefore crucial to keep the reference count (usage information) correct and not delete a SSL_SESSION object that is
       still used, as this may lead to program failures due to dangling pointers. These failures may also appear delayed, e.g.	when an SSL_SES-
       SION object was completely freed as the reference count incorrectly became 0, but it is still referenced in the internal session cache and
       the cache list is processed during a SSL_CTX_flush_sessions(3) operation.

       SSL_SESSION_free() must only be called for SSL_SESSION objects, for which the reference count was explicitly incremented (e.g.  by calling
       SSL_get1_session(), see SSL_get_session(3)) or when the SSL_SESSION object was generated outside a TLS handshake operation, e.g. by using
       d2i_SSL_SESSION(3).  It must not be called on other SSL_SESSION objects, as this would cause incorrect reference counts and therefore pro-
       gram failures.

RETURN VALUES

       SSL_SESSION_free() does not provide diagnostic information.

SEE ALSO

       ssl(3), SSL_get_session(3), SSL_CTX_set_session_cache_mode(3), SSL_CTX_flush_sessions(3),
	d2i_SSL_SESSION(3)

0.9.7d								    2002-12-01						       SSL_SESSION_free(3)