diff --git a/swift/account/auditor.py b/swift/account/auditor.py
index e93e8a9ca6..f38e475c19 100644
--- a/swift/account/auditor.py
+++ b/swift/account/auditor.py
@@ -19,8 +19,7 @@
 from random import random
 
 import swift.common.db
-from swift.account import server as account_server
-from swift.account.backend import AccountBroker
+from swift.account.backend import AccountBroker, DATADIR
 from swift.common.utils import get_logger, audit_location_generator, \
     config_true_value, dump_recon_cache, ratelimit_sleep
 from swift.common.daemon import Daemon
@@ -49,8 +48,7 @@ def __init__(self, conf):
         self.rcache = os.path.join(self.recon_cache_path, "account.recon")
 
     def _one_audit_pass(self, reported):
-        all_locs = audit_location_generator(self.devices,
-                                            account_server.DATADIR, '.db',
+        all_locs = audit_location_generator(self.devices, DATADIR, '.db',
                                             mount_check=self.mount_check,
                                             logger=self.logger)
         for path, device, partition in all_locs:
diff --git a/swift/account/backend.py b/swift/account/backend.py
index 5de41ef2b7..f29e64d93b 100644
--- a/swift/account/backend.py
+++ b/swift/account/backend.py
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@
 from swift.common.db import DatabaseBroker, DatabaseConnectionError, \
     PENDING_CAP, PICKLE_PROTOCOL, utf8encode
 
+DATADIR = 'accounts'
+
 
 class AccountBroker(DatabaseBroker):
     """Encapsulates working with an account database."""
diff --git a/swift/account/reaper.py b/swift/account/reaper.py
index eb7084ffd6..dbb95891e6 100644
--- a/swift/account/reaper.py
+++ b/swift/account/reaper.py
@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@
 from eventlet import GreenPool, sleep, Timeout
 
 import swift.common.db
-from swift.account.server import DATADIR
-from swift.account.backend import AccountBroker
+from swift.account.backend import AccountBroker, DATADIR
 from swift.common.direct_client import direct_delete_container, \
     direct_delete_object, direct_get_container
 from swift.common.exceptions import ClientException
diff --git a/swift/account/replicator.py b/swift/account/replicator.py
index 52205b632f..ad9ad9fd5b 100644
--- a/swift/account/replicator.py
+++ b/swift/account/replicator.py
@@ -13,13 +13,12 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
-from swift.account import server as account_server
-from swift.account.backend import AccountBroker
+from swift.account.backend import AccountBroker, DATADIR
 from swift.common import db_replicator
 
 
 class AccountReplicator(db_replicator.Replicator):
     server_type = 'account'
     brokerclass = AccountBroker
-    datadir = account_server.DATADIR
+    datadir = DATADIR
     default_port = 6002
diff --git a/swift/account/server.py b/swift/account/server.py
index 575014bd13..53889a16f1 100644
--- a/swift/account/server.py
+++ b/swift/account/server.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 from eventlet import Timeout
 
 import swift.common.db
-from swift.account.backend import AccountBroker
+from swift.account.backend import AccountBroker, DATADIR
 from swift.account.utils import account_listing_response
 from swift.common.db import DatabaseConnectionError, DatabaseAlreadyExists
 from swift.common.request_helpers import get_param, get_listing_content_type, \
@@ -40,9 +40,6 @@
 from swift.common.request_helpers import is_sys_or_user_meta
 
 
-DATADIR = 'accounts'
-
-
 class AccountController(object):
     """WSGI controller for the account server."""
 
diff --git a/swift/container/auditor.py b/swift/container/auditor.py
index 62491a3976..0cd8594906 100644
--- a/swift/container/auditor.py
+++ b/swift/container/auditor.py
@@ -21,8 +21,7 @@
 from eventlet import Timeout
 
 import swift.common.db
-from swift.container import server as container_server
-from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker
+from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker, DATADIR
 from swift.common.utils import get_logger, audit_location_generator, \
     config_true_value, dump_recon_cache, ratelimit_sleep
 from swift.common.daemon import Daemon
@@ -49,8 +48,7 @@ def __init__(self, conf):
         self.rcache = os.path.join(self.recon_cache_path, "container.recon")
 
     def _one_audit_pass(self, reported):
-        all_locs = audit_location_generator(self.devices,
-                                            container_server.DATADIR, '.db',
+        all_locs = audit_location_generator(self.devices, DATADIR, '.db',
                                             mount_check=self.mount_check,
                                             logger=self.logger)
         for path, device, partition in all_locs:
diff --git a/swift/container/backend.py b/swift/container/backend.py
index 04ae9bcb67..a72da20aae 100644
--- a/swift/container/backend.py
+++ b/swift/container/backend.py
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@
 from swift.common.db import DatabaseBroker, DatabaseConnectionError, \
     PENDING_CAP, PICKLE_PROTOCOL, utf8encode
 
+DATADIR = 'containers'
+
 
 class ContainerBroker(DatabaseBroker):
     """Encapsulates working with a container database."""
diff --git a/swift/container/replicator.py b/swift/container/replicator.py
index 116a4a760a..f69edba01f 100644
--- a/swift/container/replicator.py
+++ b/swift/container/replicator.py
@@ -13,15 +13,14 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
-from swift.container import server as container_server
-from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker
+from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker, DATADIR
 from swift.common import db_replicator
 
 
 class ContainerReplicator(db_replicator.Replicator):
     server_type = 'container'
     brokerclass = ContainerBroker
-    datadir = container_server.DATADIR
+    datadir = DATADIR
     default_port = 6001
 
     def report_up_to_date(self, full_info):
diff --git a/swift/container/server.py b/swift/container/server.py
index 4242465bf6..ebf729597a 100644
--- a/swift/container/server.py
+++ b/swift/container/server.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 from eventlet import Timeout
 
 import swift.common.db
-from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker
+from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker, DATADIR
 from swift.common.db import DatabaseAlreadyExists
 from swift.common.container_sync_realms import ContainerSyncRealms
 from swift.common.request_helpers import get_param, get_listing_content_type, \
@@ -43,8 +43,6 @@
     HTTPPreconditionFailed, HTTPMethodNotAllowed, Request, Response, \
     HTTPInsufficientStorage, HTTPException, HeaderKeyDict
 
-DATADIR = 'containers'
-
 
 class ContainerController(object):
     """WSGI Controller for the container server."""
diff --git a/swift/container/sync.py b/swift/container/sync.py
index 87ca387b76..0f31bbe433 100644
--- a/swift/container/sync.py
+++ b/swift/container/sync.py
@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@
 from eventlet import sleep, Timeout
 
 import swift.common.db
-from swift.container import server as container_server
-from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker
+from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker, DATADIR
 from swift.common.container_sync_realms import ContainerSyncRealms
 from swift.common.direct_client import direct_get_object
 from swift.common.internal_client import delete_object, put_object
@@ -168,9 +167,7 @@ def run_forever(self, *args, **kwargs):
         sleep(random() * self.interval)
         while True:
             begin = time()
-            all_locs = audit_location_generator(self.devices,
-                                                container_server.DATADIR,
-                                                '.db',
+            all_locs = audit_location_generator(self.devices, DATADIR, '.db',
                                                 mount_check=self.mount_check,
                                                 logger=self.logger)
             for path, device, partition in all_locs:
@@ -187,8 +184,7 @@ def run_once(self, *args, **kwargs):
         """
         self.logger.info(_('Begin container sync "once" mode'))
         begin = time()
-        all_locs = audit_location_generator(self.devices,
-                                            container_server.DATADIR, '.db',
+        all_locs = audit_location_generator(self.devices, DATADIR, '.db',
                                             mount_check=self.mount_check,
                                             logger=self.logger)
         for path, device, partition in all_locs:
diff --git a/swift/container/updater.py b/swift/container/updater.py
index 2c2e74660f..fdc01e3fad 100644
--- a/swift/container/updater.py
+++ b/swift/container/updater.py
@@ -25,8 +25,7 @@
 from eventlet import spawn, patcher, Timeout
 
 import swift.common.db
-from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker
-from swift.container.server import DATADIR
+from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker, DATADIR
 from swift.common.bufferedhttp import http_connect
 from swift.common.exceptions import ConnectionTimeout
 from swift.common.ring import Ring
diff --git a/test/unit/account/test_reaper.py b/test/unit/account/test_reaper.py
index 7af3865827..e122fdb612 100644
--- a/test/unit/account/test_reaper.py
+++ b/test/unit/account/test_reaper.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 from contextlib import nested
 
 from swift.account import reaper
-from swift.account.server import DATADIR
+from swift.account.backend import DATADIR
 from swift.common.exceptions import ClientException
 from swift.common.utils import normalize_timestamp
 
diff --git a/test/unit/common/test_db_replicator.py b/test/unit/common/test_db_replicator.py
index 0faeaca7f7..7c061e6dd5 100644
--- a/test/unit/common/test_db_replicator.py
+++ b/test/unit/common/test_db_replicator.py
@@ -26,9 +26,9 @@
 import mock
 import simplejson
 
+from swift.container.backend import DATADIR
 from swift.common import db_replicator
 from swift.common.utils import normalize_timestamp
-from swift.container import server as container_server
 from swift.common.exceptions import DriveNotMounted
 from swift.common.swob import HTTPException
 
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ class TestReplicator(db_replicator.Replicator):
     server_type = 'container'
     ring_file = 'container.ring.gz'
     brokerclass = FakeBroker
-    datadir = container_server.DATADIR
+    datadir = DATADIR
     default_port = 1000
 
 
diff --git a/test/unit/container/test_updater.py b/test/unit/container/test_updater.py
index c5a14e36be..5c32dfa3b0 100644
--- a/test/unit/container/test_updater.py
+++ b/test/unit/container/test_updater.py
@@ -25,8 +25,7 @@
 
 from swift.common import utils
 from swift.container import updater as container_updater
-from swift.container import server as container_server
-from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker
+from swift.container.backend import ContainerBroker, DATADIR
 from swift.common.ring import RingData
 from swift.common.utils import normalize_timestamp
 
@@ -84,7 +83,7 @@ def test_run_once(self):
             'account_suppression_time': 0
         })
         cu.run_once()
-        containers_dir = os.path.join(self.sda1, container_server.DATADIR)
+        containers_dir = os.path.join(self.sda1, DATADIR)
         os.mkdir(containers_dir)
         cu.run_once()
         self.assert_(os.path.exists(containers_dir))
@@ -167,7 +166,7 @@ def test_unicode(self):
             'concurrency': '1',
             'node_timeout': '15',
         })
-        containers_dir = os.path.join(self.sda1, container_server.DATADIR)
+        containers_dir = os.path.join(self.sda1, DATADIR)
         os.mkdir(containers_dir)
         subdir = os.path.join(containers_dir, 'subdir')
         os.mkdir(subdir)