Nothing’s more frustrating than downloading a sophisticated molecular modeling platform, only to realize it won’t run smoothly—or won’t even start. Whether you’re trying to analyze large protein-ligand interactions or generate molecular animations, having the right environment makes all the difference. This blog post focuses on system requirements for SAMSON, an integrative platform for molecular design, so you can start building and simulating nanosystems without system-level surprises.
Why Hardware and Software Requirements Matter
Molecular modeling can be computationally intensive. If your software platform isn’t properly matched with your operating system and hardware capabilities, you’re likely to experience crashes, graphical glitches, or performance bottlenecks. SAMSON aims to prevent such issues by offering clear, flexible prerequisites. Here’s what you need to know before installing or deploying SAMSON in your research workflow.
Key Takeaway: No Admin Rights Needed 🧑💻
One pleasant surprise: SAMSON does not require administrator rights to install. It installs in your user home directory and explicitly avoids running with elevated privileges. This makes it ideal for environments with IT restrictions, like university labs or corporate networks.
Operating System Compatibility
SAMSON 2025 R3, the current version, is supported on all major operating systems:
- Windows: Windows 10 and Windows 11
- Linux: Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 42+, CentOS, and similar distributions
- macOS: Versions 12 (Monterey) through 15 (Sequoia), both Intel and ARM chips
If you’re using an older version or operating system, compatibility is not guaranteed, and support might be limited.
Graphics Requirements: OpenGL 4.1 Minimum
This is where users often hit a snag. SAMSON requires a graphics card capable of handling OpenGL 4.1. NVIDIA and AMD cards generally meet this requirement, assuming the appropriate drivers are installed. Intel graphics may cause issues—but you will be warned during the installation if there’s anything questionable. If you’re working in a virtual machine, SAMSON will operate only if the VM supports hardware GPU acceleration.
Linux-Specific Notes 🐧
If you’re on Linux, particularly Ubuntu- or CentOS-like systems, a few additional dependencies may be required for proper execution:
- On Ubuntu-based systems:
libxcb-cursor0andlibatomic1 - On CentOS-based systems: install the
xcb-util*libraries
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sudo apt install libxcb-cursor0 libatomic1 |
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sudo dnf install xcb-util* |
If you still encounter errors, particularly with graphical output, SAMSON provides detailed troubleshooting for OpenGL drivers in Linux environments. More details here.
Avoiding Surprises
Before jumping into molecular modeling with SAMSON, taking a few minutes to verify system compatibility can save hours of confusion and troubleshooting. Simple actions like updating your graphics driver or checking for missing Linux libraries will ensure that SAMSON runs smoothly—right out of the gate. SAMSON also checks for compatibility and gives helpful prompts along the way during installation.
The Bottom Line
SAMSON makes it quite accessible to get started with advanced modeling features, even for users constrained by institutional IT policies. Most importantly, it helps avoid the biggest pitfall of any modeling software: assuming that anything will “just work” without checking hardware and software compatibility first.
To learn more, refer to the official SAMSON documentation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/getting-started/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON now at https://www.samson-connect.net.