...
>We are trying to complete an incremental backup an NT Server with about 3
>million small objects (according to TSM) in many, many folders and it can't
>even get done in 12 hours.

To the excellent responses already posted regarding the TSM db being in the
middle of the operations, I could only add that you should inspect how the
server is handling the task, and what else may be running in the server at the
same time.  If backing up to a initial disk storage pool, migration from it
may be impeding your backups.  And there may be contention for tape drives or
volumes, mount transition times, and like factors at play.  Using client
compression can slow you down.  Plowing through a file system itself takes
time.  This is the "fun" of systems analysis that we all have to engage in
from time to time.  :-)

  Richard Sims, BU