[support] Common Configurations of Multiple Sites

[The Golden Condor !]

Hi,

I have a single drupal installation with multiple sites. I can
somewhat easily customize each site individually, such as enable and
configure modules, add user roles, etc.

However, when I realize that I need a specific user role for all of my
5 drupal sites (particularly, site admin with reduced privileges), I
find it tedious to log into each site separately and configure it. The
problem escalates as the number of sites goes up.

I was wondering if there is an easier way to mass-configure all sites
in a single installation? (I am guessing the answer is no, because
conflict resolution could be complex?)

When creating a new site (i.e., copying sites/default to something
else), and running the install script (install.php) on that site, are
the default settings for the new site copied from the default site
that I reconfigured, or reinitialized with Drupal default values? If
it's the latter, is there an easy way to change installation defaults?

If any of these questions have been answered elsewhere, I'd appreciate
a pointer to the answer.

Cheers,

Tony A.A.