Duplicating sites

A quick way to copy new site and hit the ground running is to install the Backup and Migrate module.

• Backup the master site.
• Install the new virgin site via the usual install.php. Enable the Backup/Migrate module.
• Restore from the backup.

Change key parts of the site that must be different

• Site Information (title, email)
• Actions  (email alerts)
• Users: delete unneeded users
• Content management - content list: delete unneeded pages
• Menu: names
• Theme: logo, name, settings.
• Disable or adapt the Back/Migrate scheduled backups
• Content of /files and theme specific directories
  (if this procedure if used to make a test copy of a production website, ensure the file path is the same on both of images and so will now display correctly on the restored website. Do no put test and productiion on the same shared hosting!).

And some specific modules may need changes, like:

• admin/settings/file-system  (files path)
• admin/user/login_destination    (user's landing page)
• admin/settings/register_notify   (alert email may contain specific links)

Update 28th March 2010:
The above method is only used for very simple sites, at there often more to it that above (e.g. changing patches to images in content), it would seem more promoiseing to start with a really blank install and use drush to automate standard module enabling, export/impport content types and look at using features to copy over more sttings.