Solaris10/UltraSparc Installation Freeze

Question

Hi
After 20 years of Unix (AIX, then Linux), I am taking my first steps with Solaris. To this end, I have acquired an old OEM UltraSparc machine:
SPARCengine(tm)Ultra(tm) AXi (UltraSPARC-IIi 440MHz), No Keyboard
OpenBoot 3.10.8 SME, 256 MB memory installed, Serial #10660470.I am trying to install Solaris 10 from CD-ROM. Installation seems to stop here:
ok boot cdrom
Boot device: /pci@1f,0/pci@1/scsi@1/disk@6,0:f  File and args:
SunOS Release 5.10 Version Generic_118822-25 64-bit
Copyright 1983-2005 Sun Microsystems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
Use is subject to license terms.
Configuring devices.
/                           I have removed the (PCI) graphics card and have tried with the hard disc both connected (gives a 'bad magic number' warning) and disconnected. I have also acquired another CD-ROM drive, in case it wasn't reading correctly.
Still it gets to 'Configuring devices' and goes no further. I have left it for a couple of hours like this, just to make sure that I wasn't just being too impatient.
Being unfamiliar with both the Sparc architecture and Solaris installation, it's got me totally stumped.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
TIA
M

Answer 1

Well, back to it again after a) having the box running Gentoo Linux for some time and b) then working as a doorstop ;-)
I have reset the NVRAM as suggested (thanks for that) and - after much fiddling with hard discs (won't recognise my 18Gb Compaq discs, although Linux had no problems with them) - have made several attempts to install. Each time I get:
ok boot cdrom
Boot device: /pci@1f,0/pci@1/scsi@1/disk@6,0:f  File and args:
SunOS Release 5.10 Version Generic_118833-17 64-bit
Copyright 1983-2005 Sun Microsystems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
Use is subject to license terms.
ld.so.1: svc.startd: fatal: relocation error: file /lib/svc/bin/svc.startd: symbol uu_setd
ld.so.1: svc.startd: fatal: relocation error: file /lib/svc/bin/svc.startd: symbol uu_setd
ld.so.1: svc.startd: fatal: relocation error: file /lib/svc/bin/svc.startd: symbol uu_setd
Requesting maintenance mode...although the ld.so messages only come up about one in three times. Otherwise it just goes:
Use is subject to license terms.
Requesting maintenance modeI'm still of the opinion that Solaris 10 just isn't reliable on old boxes, no matter what anyone says to the contrary. (My media is fine - works in my Blade without issues.)
Think I'll have to put this one back to Linux (Solaris 9 was a real dog).