Installing software in a shared or restricted computing environment can be frustrating—especially for molecular modelers working on university or institutional machines where administrative access is often limited. If you’ve ever faced barriers just trying to install tools crucial for your molecular modeling work, this post may help you breathe a little easier.
SAMSON, the integrative platform for molecular design, takes a different approach. It can be installed entirely without admin rights. This small but important design choice makes it accessible to students, educators, and researchers working in constrained setups. Here’s how SAMSON eases software setup, and what you should know before installing.
Why Admin-Free Installation Matters
If you’ve ever been delayed waiting for IT approval just to run basic simulations or visualize a structure, you know the pain. Admin-right installations can add friction to experimentation, teaching workflows, and onboarding new team members.
With SAMSON, there’s no need to contact your system administrator. The installer works directly in your user space and is designed to explicitly reject admin mode at startup—encouraging good security practices.
What You Need to Get Started
Before installing SAMSON, confirm that your system meets a few basic requirements:
- 64-bit operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
- A graphics card with OpenGL 4.1 support
On Linux systems, make sure to install the necessary support libraries depending on your distribution:
For Ubuntu-like systems:
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sudo apt install libxcb-cursor0 libatomic1 |
For CentOS-like systems:
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sudo dnf install xcb-util* |
If you plan on running SAMSON in a virtual machine, don’t forget to enable hardware GPU acceleration.
Starting the Installer
To download SAMSON:
- Visit: samson-connect.net/download
- Sign in or create an account
- Copy your SAMSON key from your account settings on SAMSON Connect
Once you launch the installer, you’ll be prompted to enter your email and key. The SAMSON installer then connects to SAMSON Connect and downloads everything from there—completely in your user directory.
Customizing the Setup
In Advanced Mode, SAMSON allows for installation path selection and version targeting. This is especially useful when you want to test a specific release or store it in a portable location like a USB stick or university network folder.
On Linux, make sure to run the installer with these commands:
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cd ~/Downloads chmod +x ./SAMSON-Setup.run QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb ./SAMSON-Setup.run |
Post-Installation: Start Right Away
After installation, SAMSON is ready to run. On macOS, you may need to authorize full disk access. On Windows, launch from the Start menu or directly from the user folder (not Program Files!). On Linux, you can even create a terminal alias for quick launch using:
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alias samson='$HOME/OneAngstrom/SAMSON-Application/9.0.0/Binaries/SAMSON-Core.sh' |
Summary
Installing complex modeling platforms shouldn’t require jumping through hoops. Whether you’re a student using a shared lab computer or a researcher wanting to test software quickly, SAMSON removes traditional friction by offering a fully admin-free installation.
To learn more, check out the full installation guide in the official documentation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/getting-started/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net