Starting Surround SCM

The Helix ALM License Server and Surround SCM Server must be running before you start Surround SCM. Contact your administrator for help if the servers are not running. See Starting the Helix ALM License Server and Starting the Surround SCM Server.

If this is your first time using Surround SCM and you have not set up any users, you can log in as the default administrative user. The username is Administrator and there is no password.

If you try to log in to Surround SCM and the license server is not running or found, you are prompted to log in using the local SCM admin password. This allows you to log in and verify the license server settings. See Configuring a Helix ALM License Server connection.

Surround SCM desktop client

  • Windows—Choose Programs > Perforce > Surround SCM > Surround SCM Client on the Start menu.
  • Mac—Double-click the Surround SCM Client icon in the Applications/Surround SCM folder.
  • Linux—Enter /usr/bin/scmgui start

The first time you start Surround SCM, you are prompted to add a server connection. See Adding server connections.

Command line interface (CLI)

You can use the Surround SCM CLI to access all features and functionality from a Unix command shell or Windows DOS prompt.

1. In a command prompt, use the cd command to change to the directory where Surround SCM is installed.

For example, enter cd C:\Program Files\Perforce\Surround SCM to open the default installation directory on Windows.

2. Enter sscm followed by the command and options at the prompt. See for information about the available commands and options.