Chapter 9 High Availability for FortiOS 5.0 : Operating a cluster : The primary unit acts as a router for subordinate unit management traffic : Cluster communication with RADIUS and LDAP servers
  
Cluster communication with RADIUS and LDAP servers
In an active-passive cluster, only the primary unit processes traffic, so the primary unit communicates with RADIUS or LDAP servers. In a cluster that is operating in active-active mode, subordinate units send RADIUS and LDAP requests to the primary unit over the HA heartbeat link and the primary units routes them to their destination. The primary unit relays the responses back to the subordinate unit.