Hello

Is it required, presumed, assumed, coincidence, chance or irrelevant that the three different databases in bitcoin:
1. the network addresses database, reflected in peers.dat
2. the levelDB block chain database (blocks/blknnnnn.dat, blocks/revnnnnn.dat, blocks/index/nnnnn.sst et al, chainstate/nnnnn.sst et al)
3. the Berkeley DB wallet database (db.log, wallet.dat, database/log.nnnnnnnnn1)
are all in the "datadir" directory?

I only ask since it would seem that a more mature (?) bitcoind or bitcoin-qt would optionally, like the three (databases) in separate paths or drives, etc. It would seem easier to transport, backup etc. the pieces one wants. I find the block chain database is the most important (time consuming), because of its size, to duplicate and transport in order to backup. This also attacks the "Criticism" section in
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Bitcoin-Qt

The first question is: can one backup by just looking at the dates, and just back up those files with the equal or newer dates, and the "log, current and manifest" files? An initial then incremental backups, as it were.

I am thinking of the frailties of data on OS's such as Windows in the hands of the "less than adept" shall we say. Also if one takes part in backing up one's data, one may actually have some idea where it is!

Ron