One of the common frustrations faced by researchers, educators, and students in molecular modeling is running into IT restrictions when trying to install software—especially in shared environments or institutional systems. If you’ve ever struggled with needing administrator rights to install specialized molecular design tools, you are not alone.
The good news: installing SAMSON, the integrative platform for molecular and nanoscale modeling, does not require administrator rights. Whether you’re working from a university computer, a cloud machine, or your personal workstation, getting started with SAMSON is surprisingly smooth.
Why This Matters 🎯
Many molecular modeling platforms require elevated privileges for installation and access to system libraries. This can delay research and teaching, or worse, discourage users entirely. With SAMSON, installation happens directly in your user directory—no admin password needed, and zero interference with system-level configurations.
What You Need to Know
SAMSON installs in your home directory, meaning it respects your system’s security boundaries. It explicitly checks at startup to ensure it’s not being run in administrator mode, reinforcing best practices in system safety and reliability.
Minimum system requirements include:
- A 64-bit operating system
- Graphics card supporting OpenGL 4.1
👉 Windows, Linux, and macOS (Intel and ARM) are fully supported. On Linux systems, you might need to install a couple of libraries (like libxcb-cursor0 and libatomic1 on Ubuntu)—simple commands you can run in a terminal without root access.
Installing SAMSON: Step-by-Step
- Visit SAMSON Connect and download the installer for your operating system.
- Sign in or create a free account to receive your unique SAMSON key.
- Launch the installer and provide your email and SAMSON key when prompted.
- Optionally, configure a proxy if you’re working behind a firewall (useful in corporate or campus networks).
On Linux, you just need to make the downloaded .run file executable with:
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chmod +x ./SAMSON-Setup.run QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb ./SAMSON-Setup.run |
This makes it convenient for Linux users to get up and running quickly without needing to request elevated permissions.
Working in a Virtual Machine?
If you’re planning to run SAMSON in a VM, just make sure the virtual environment has access to hardware GPU acceleration. Otherwise, rendering might be limited.
Bottom Line
SAMSON lowers the entry barrier for high-performance molecular modeling by eliminating the need for admin rights during installation. This makes it an excellent option for students, researchers, and professionals alike—especially when working in restricted IT environments.
To learn more about SAMSON or to explore extensions and features, visit the official Getting Started guide.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get your copy today at https://www.samson-connect.net.