diff --git a/doc/xml/release.xml b/doc/xml/release.xml
index 568030621..b9b0b6d08 100644
--- a/doc/xml/release.xml
+++ b/doc/xml/release.xml
@@ -45,6 +45,14 @@
                         <p>The <cmd>archive-get</cmd> command is implemented entirely in C.</p>
                     </release-item>
 
+                    <release-item>
+                        <release-item-contributor-list>
+                            <release-item-contributor id="marc.cousin"/>
+                        </release-item-contributor-list>
+
+                        <p>Enable socket keep-alive on older <proper>Perl</proper> versions.</p>
+                    </release-item>
+
                     <release-item>
                         <release-item-contributor-list>
                             <release-item-ideator id="james.badger"/>
@@ -6543,6 +6551,11 @@
             <contributor-id type="github">mhagander</contributor-id>
         </contributor>
 
+        <contributor id="marc.cousin">
+            <contributor-name-display>Marc Cousin</contributor-name-display>
+            <contributor-id type="github">marco44</contributor-id>
+        </contributor>
+
         <contributor id="markus.nullmeier">
             <contributor-name-display>Markus Nullmeier</contributor-name-display>
             <contributor-id type="github">mnullmei</contributor-id>
diff --git a/lib/pgBackRest/Common/Http/Client.pm b/lib/pgBackRest/Common/Http/Client.pm
index 2cb04654a..d6a406e02 100644
--- a/lib/pgBackRest/Common/Http/Client.pm
+++ b/lib/pgBackRest/Common/Http/Client.pm
@@ -97,25 +97,33 @@ sub new
             # Connect to the server
             my $oSocket;
 
+            if (eval{require IO::Socket::IP})
+            {
+                $oSocket = IO::Socket::IP->new(PeerHost => $strHost, PeerPort => $iPort)
+                    or confess &log(ERROR, "unable to create socket: $@", ERROR_HOST_CONNECT);
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                require IO::Socket::INET;
+
+                $oSocket = IO::Socket::INET->new(PeerHost => $strHost, PeerPort => $iPort)
+                    or confess &log(ERROR, "unable to create socket: $@", ERROR_HOST_CONNECT);
+            }
+
+            setsockopt($oSocket, SOL_SOCKET,SO_KEEPALIVE, 1)
+                or confess &log(ERROR, "unable to set socket keepalive: $@", ERROR_HOST_CONNECT);
+
             eval
             {
-                $oSocket = IO::Socket::SSL->new(
-                    PeerHost => $strHost, PeerPort => $iPort, SSL_verify_mode => $bVerifySsl ? SSL_VERIFY_PEER : SSL_VERIFY_NONE,
-                    SSL_ca_path => $strCaPath, SSL_ca_file => $strCaFile, Sockopts => [[SOL_SOCKET, SO_KEEPALIVE]]);
-
-                return 1;
+                IO::Socket::SSL->start_SSL(
+                    $oSocket, SSL_verify_mode => $bVerifySsl ? SSL_VERIFY_PEER : SSL_VERIFY_NONE, SSL_ca_path => $strCaPath,
+                    SSL_ca_file => $strCaFile);
             }
             or do
-            {
-                logErrorResult(ERROR_HOST_CONNECT, $EVAL_ERROR);
-            };
-
-            # Check for errors
-            if (!defined($oSocket))
             {
                 logErrorResult(
                     ERROR_HOST_CONNECT, coalesce(length($!) == 0 ? undef : $!, $SSL_ERROR), length($!) > 0 ? $SSL_ERROR : undef);
-            }
+            };
 
             # Bless with new class
             $self = $class->SUPER::new(
diff --git a/src/perl/embed.auto.c b/src/perl/embed.auto.c
index fa93dcc97..adc6d36f3 100644
--- a/src/perl/embed.auto.c
+++ b/src/perl/embed.auto.c
@@ -5016,24 +5016,33 @@ static const EmbeddedModule embeddedModule[] =
             "\n"
             "my $oSocket;\n"
             "\n"
+            "if (eval{require IO::Socket::IP})\n"
+            "{\n"
+            "$oSocket = IO::Socket::IP->new(PeerHost => $strHost, PeerPort => $iPort)\n"
+            "or confess &log(ERROR, \"unable to create socket: $@\", ERROR_HOST_CONNECT);\n"
+            "}\n"
+            "else\n"
+            "{\n"
+            "require IO::Socket::INET;\n"
+            "\n"
+            "$oSocket = IO::Socket::INET->new(PeerHost => $strHost, PeerPort => $iPort)\n"
+            "or confess &log(ERROR, \"unable to create socket: $@\", ERROR_HOST_CONNECT);\n"
+            "}\n"
+            "\n"
+            "setsockopt($oSocket, SOL_SOCKET,SO_KEEPALIVE, 1)\n"
+            "or confess &log(ERROR, \"unable to set socket keepalive: $@\", ERROR_HOST_CONNECT);\n"
+            "\n"
             "eval\n"
             "{\n"
-            "$oSocket = IO::Socket::SSL->new(\n"
-            "PeerHost => $strHost, PeerPort => $iPort, SSL_verify_mode => $bVerifySsl ? SSL_VERIFY_PEER : SSL_VERIFY_NONE,\n"
-            "SSL_ca_path => $strCaPath, SSL_ca_file => $strCaFile, Sockopts => [[SOL_SOCKET, SO_KEEPALIVE]]);\n"
-            "\n"
-            "return 1;\n"
+            "IO::Socket::SSL->start_SSL(\n"
+            "$oSocket, SSL_verify_mode => $bVerifySsl ? SSL_VERIFY_PEER : SSL_VERIFY_NONE, SSL_ca_path => $strCaPath,\n"
+            "SSL_ca_file => $strCaFile);\n"
             "}\n"
             "or do\n"
             "{\n"
-            "logErrorResult(ERROR_HOST_CONNECT, $EVAL_ERROR);\n"
-            "};\n"
-            "\n\n"
-            "if (!defined($oSocket))\n"
-            "{\n"
             "logErrorResult(\n"
             "ERROR_HOST_CONNECT, coalesce(length($!) == 0 ? undef : $!, $SSL_ERROR), length($!) > 0 ? $SSL_ERROR : undef);\n"
-            "}\n"
+            "};\n"
             "\n\n"
             "$self = $class->SUPER::new(\n"
             "new pgBackRest::Common::Io::Handle('httpClient', $oSocket, $oSocket), $iProtocolTimeout, $lBufferMax);\n"
diff --git a/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Storage/StorageS3CertPerlTest.pm b/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Storage/StorageS3CertPerlTest.pm
index b3784229f..3e26e9d47 100644
--- a/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Storage/StorageS3CertPerlTest.pm
+++ b/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Storage/StorageS3CertPerlTest.pm
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ sub run
                 # this bug gets fixed by Red Hat.  UPDATE: The behavior changed here but it does not seems to be fixed.
                 $self->testException(
                     sub {storageRepo({strStanza => 'test1'})->list('/')}, ERROR_HOST_CONNECT,
-                    'IO::Socket::IP configuration failed error.*shutdown while in init',
+                    'SSL connect attempt failed with unknown error error.*certificate verify failed',
                     'cert verify fails on ' . VM_CO7);
 
                 # It should work when verification is disabled
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ sub run
 
             $self->testException(
                 sub {storageRepo({strStanza => 'test4'})->list('/')}, ERROR_HOST_CONNECT,
-                $self->vm() eq VM_CO6 ? 'IO::Socket::INET configuration failed' : 'SSL_ca_path /bogus does not exist',
+                $self->vm() eq VM_CO6 ? 'SSL connect attempt failed with unknown error.*certificate verify failed' : 'No such file or directory',
                 'invalid ca path');
         }
     }