3.000.000 files on single dir = freeze

[Alvaro R <askxfs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello, I have some directories that are on XFS under SLES9, on top of
a raid0 device.

on those directories, I have about 3.000.000 on one and 200.000 on
another, if I try to access one file by name via Apache, no problem, I
get the file right away, but when I try to tar those directories, the
tar command goes ok for a while, then freezes for 5 minutes, then
resume for some 30 seconds and keep cycleing like that...

it's about 350 gigs worth of data, and after 12 hours I have onle 18
gigs backed up...

tried to do an ls.. and that takes forever and never return the
command prompt back.
du -hs takes some 15 minutes and then gives the dir size.

rsync can count all the files, and it also freezes while copying.

any hints ?

Alvaro

PS - I am backing up the directories to another disk with:

tar lcf - imagelistener imagefiles | (cd /dataentry_bkp/; tar xvpf - )