Pocket PC and syncing with exchange 2003 problem

you can have a look at the following:

http://pdaphonehome.com/forums/ppc-6700-xv6700/63041-6700-exchange-ssl-error-0x80072f17.html
http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1543948&SiteID=17

and in general just google for  0x80072F17 support code and exchange

That is almost certainly a certificate error.
Who supplied your SSL certificate, or is it home grown?
If you browse to https://host.domain.com/oma do you get a certificate prompt?

Simon.

i do i have an ssl prompt when i try my https://public IP/oma. i created the SSL certificate myself

do i need to open any specific port for this. Outlook Web Access and OMA work fine when i try to access it from a computer ( out of the network)

If you are getting an SSL prompt then EAS will not work.
It cannot cope with the SSL certificate prompt.
You can try installing the certificate on to the device, but I find that rarely works reliably. Instead get an SSL certificate that is trusted by Windows Mobile. GoDaddy do those (http://www.domainsforexchange.net/) as do InstantSSL. GoDaddy are US$20 a year, InstantSSL a little more.

Simon.

which one of these?

Turbo SSL Certificate
Domain Only Validation

      High-Assurance SSL Certificate
Full Company (or Individual) Validation