If you’ve ever had to install complex software in a shared or tightly managed computing environment, you’ve likely run into a common problem: needing administrator rights. For many molecular modelers—especially students, researchers in government labs, or users of institution-managed systems—this is a frustrating bottleneck. Fortunately, SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, provides a simple solution: it doesn’t require admin rights for installation or execution.
Whether you’re working on protein-ligand interactions, nanostructures, or interactive simulations, getting started with SAMSON is remarkably straightforward—even without elevated system privileges. Here’s how and why this matters, plus what you need to know to get up and running.
Why SAMSON Avoids Admin Mode
SAMSON is designed with security and accessibility in mind. It installs within the user’s home directory by default and explicitly checks during launch that it’s not being run with administrator rights. This isn’t just a nice-to-have feature—it’s a deliberate security measure to reduce risk and ensure compatibility in multi-user environments.
Does SAMSON require admin rights?
No admin rights are necessary! SAMSON does not need admin rights to be installed – it installs in the user home. And SAMSON explicitly checks at startup that it’s not run in admin mode to encourage users to restrain the rights they give to SAMSON.
What You Need to Install SAMSON
Before installing, make sure your system meets the basic requirements:
- A 64-bit operating system
- A GPU with support for OpenGL 4.1
- For Linux: some additional libraries may be needed (see below)
Installing on Different Platforms
Windows and macOS: The process is straightforward: just download the installer from SAMSON Connect, sign in (or create an account), and provide your SAMSON key during the installation. There’s no need to ask your IT team for admin credentials.
Linux: Some extra steps may be required to prepare your Linux environment. For example, Ubuntu users should run:
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sudo apt install libxcb-cursor0 libatomic1 |
And those using CentOS or Fedora might need:
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sudo dnf install xcb-util* |
If OpenGL issues arise, SAMSON provides dedicated troubleshooting steps, which can be found here.
Running SAMSON After Installation
Once installed, launch SAMSON directly from your Start menu (Windows), Apps Dashboard (Linux), or Launchpad (macOS). It’s also possible to create custom launch aliases on Linux systems for quicker access.
Virtual Machines and GPU Access
Warning
If you plan on running SAMSON in a virtual machine, then please make sure to give your virtual machine an access to hardware GPU acceleration.
This is especially important because many VM environments do not, by default, provide functional OpenGL support, which is required by SAMSON.
Conclusion
Installing complex molecular modeling software without elevated permissions is often a major challenge, especially in controlled environments. SAMSON’s user-space installation not only bypasses this obstacle but also aligns with good security practices. Whether you’re just getting started or managing a classroom or lab environment, SAMSON makes professional-grade modeling accessible to all.
Learn more at the official documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/getting-started/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.