iMac migration/mirror to second iMac

[chrischerrett]

I’m a freelancer currently working from home, but shortly I’ll have a second office. At home I have an iMac, and I’m thinking of buying a second iMac to place in the other office.

I’d like these two setups to be identifical (or for the second to be a mirror of the first). My home setup is ideal, and rather than replicate everything manually, I’d like to pretty much turn on the second iMac and find the same setup. I’m not just talking apps, I’m talking universal config like homebrew/php/nginx and all my dev stuff.

Will a backup/migration from Migration Assistant deal with all this, or it is a simple “copy personal files” utility?

I appreciate that once the “mirror” is setup it’ll be it’s own machine again, and that they’ll “branch” off on their own, but I just want to save hours of initial setup.

Any thought or experience of this before? Thanks!

 

[Fishrrman]

"I’d like these two setups to be identifical (or for the second to be a mirror of the first)."

My advice is -- don't try this.
You'll be chasing an elusive ideal that will never be met.

Instead, let "each machine be its own machine", so to speak.
It's easier, and you'll come to find yourself enjoying the differences.

You CAN easily set up the new one to be "just like the old one" -- at the beginning.
But after that, I wouldn't worry.
I'd just "keep each one up manually", with "the big stuff" on both, and important files on both, and let "the rest" take care of itself.

My advice for initial setup:
1. Create a cloned backup of the first iMac using either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper
2. When you first turn on the new Mac, connect the backup and migrate the entire shebang over to the new one.
3. AT THAT POINT, they will both "be alike". But from then on, just keep them "close" yourself, and be happy.

 

[chrischerrett]

1. Create a cloned backup of the first iMac using either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper
2. When you first turn on the new Mac, connect the backup and migrate the entire shebang over to the new one.
3. AT THAT POINT, they will both "be alike". But from then on, just keep them "close" yourself, and be happy.

Thanks. No.1 is all I’m seeking. I’m not trying to mirror them forever, just get a base copy (so that I don’t have to setup & config everything again). I think you took me too literally with the rest. I wasn’t asking for the impossible