A multihop configuration, in which the VOB and its export view reside on different hosts, requires MVFS-level communication, which is slower than NFS communication, between the two Rational® ClearCase hosts. In addition, a multihop configuration introduces the possibility of access cycles, in which two of the hosts depend on each other for network-related services, or such a dependency is created through vendor hosts. Such situations may result in time-outs (if VOBs are soft-mounted) or deadlocks (if VOBs are hard mounted).