Which service setting determines whether traffic is passed to the SSL proxy or the HTTP proxy?

The correct answer, "Detect protocol," pertains to the method by which the proxy server identifies the nature of the incoming traffic to determine how it should be processed. This is crucial because the proxy needs to differentiate between secure (SSL) traffic and standard (HTTP) traffic.

When the protocol detection mechanism is implemented, it analyzes the characteristics of the traffic. If it identifies the traffic as SSL, it will route it to the SSL proxy, which is designed to handle encrypted traffic, providing the necessary decryption for inspection and filtering. Conversely, if the traffic is determined to be HTTP, it will pass directly to the HTTP proxy for processing.

Other options represent different functionalities within the proxy system that do not directly govern the decision of routing traffic based on its protocol type. For instance, service mode generally describes the operational settings of the proxy, such as being in blocking or caching mode, rather than the specific detection and routing of any given protocol type. Traffic management is focused on performance optimization and load balancing rather than the initial identification of traffic protocols.