Molecular modelers and computational scientists often face a common obstacle when trying to install advanced software in restricted environments: the need for administrative privileges. Whether you work on institutional machines, shared lab computers, or virtual machines in the cloud, the lack of admin rights can be frustrating and time-consuming. But with SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, that roadblock becomes a thing of the past.
SAMSON installs without requiring admin rights. This means you can start designing nanosystems, visualizing molecules, and running simulations without needing IT intervention, making it more accessible than ever for students, educators, researchers, and R&D teams.
Why No-Admin Install Matters
Administrative rights are typically restricted for security and maintenance reasons. While this makes sense for general users, it creates friction for scientists who need access to powerful modeling tools.
Imagine you’re running a workshop, and each participant must install modeling software on institutional machines. Or consider a student trying to run a docking simulation from their university PC late at night. The lack of admin rights typically halts progress—with SAMSON, it’s no longer an issue.
How SAMSON Handles It
SAMSON installs to your user home directory, a location you already have permission to write into. Even better, at startup, SAMSON explicitly checks that it is not being run in admin mode. This is designed to reinforce good security practices and reduce the risk of accidental administrative execution in sensitive environments.
Minimal Technical Requirements
To get started with SAMSON, you only need:
- A 64-bit operating system
- A graphics card that supports OpenGL 4.1
For NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards, appropriate drivers with OpenGL support should be installed. If you’re running in a virtual machine, make sure GPU hardware acceleration is enabled—this step is often overlooked.
Heads-up for Virtual Machine Users
If you’re working in a VM (e.g., to run simulations in the cloud), SAMSON still works just fine—as long as you enable GPU acceleration. Otherwise, graphics rendering could fail or perform poorly.
Platform Compatibility
No matter your setup, SAMSON is flexible. It supports:
- Windows: Windows 10 and 11
- Linux: Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 42+, CentOS, and similar distributions
- macOS: macOS Monterey (12) through Sequoia (15), for both Intel and ARM (M-series) chips
Integration with SAMSON Connect
During installation, you’ll be asked for your SAMSON key and email address registered with SAMSON Connect. Extensions, simulations, and user preferences are managed seamlessly through this portal, with no pain of version mismatch—extensions update automatically.
Ready to Try It?
Whether you’re a molecular biologist, a materials scientist, or an educator onboarding a classroom, SAMSON’s no-admin-rights approach makes it easier to bring computational modeling where it’s needed most: where the ideas happen—not just on IT-approved devices.
To learn more, visit the Getting Started guide in the SAMSON documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.