Using a Mac Mini with an iMac (11,1)

Hi,
I am considering buying a Mac Mini to replace an old netbook I use as a development server. The old netbook runs Ubuntu and was a cheap but excellent machine that I utilized to develop customized software. Unfortunately that machine is starting to fall apart and I am considering replacing it with a Mac Mini instead of another cheap netbook. However, the price difference is considerable (about 2x) so I am looking to keep the cost down by only buying the Mac Mini and using my iMac to initially set up the machine on the network. What I want to do is use the iMac’s screen, keyboard and mouse to first connect to the Mini, set up it up to connect to my network and activate the ability to remotely access the Mini. Once I do that, I can use screen sharing to operate the Mini whenever necessary, correct? However, I am unsure if my iMac (model 11,1) can be utilized as a target display for the Mac Mini. If I connect the Mac Mini to my iMac’s DisplayPort, will I be able to do what I want? And what about my keyboard and mouse? Do I have to unpair them from the iMac and pair them with the Mac Mini to be able to control the Mac Mini (only the first time I do this...). Anyone have any experience or thoughts they could share?

That's correct. It's sooooo much simpler to just borrow a keyboard/mouse from a PC or have another set for pairing. It's tricky getting the existing set off the iMac and on to the Mini, first you have to have it on the iMac to enter Target Mode Display, (CMD F2). Now how do you disconnect or unpair it from the iMac? If you turn it off and on, it reconnects to the iMac, If you disconnect it before switching, you can't enter TMD... then the problem of getting it back...
Too many headaches, I just borrowed a usb mouse/keyboard off a PC to config and then returned it.

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