A molecular modeling session can lose time before it begins: the installer runs, but the application will not launch—or the graphics interface behaves unexpectedly. Often, the useful first step is not reinstalling everything. It is checking whether the computer meets the platform and graphics requirements.
This checklist is for modelers setting up a personal workstation, preparing a lab computer, or helping a colleague diagnose a startup problem. It focuses on the checks that can prevent common installation surprises.
1. Check the operating system
The current SAMSON support matrix lists Windows 10 and 11; Linux distributions including Ubuntu 22.04 and newer, Fedora 42 and newer, CentOS, and similar systems; and macOS Tahoe (26), Sequoia (15), Sonoma (14), Ventura (13), and Monterey (12), on both Intel and Apple Silicon.
Older platforms may work, but they are outside the currently tested support matrix. If you are preparing a shared machine or lab image, verify the operating system version before distributing the installer. That simple check helps distinguish an unsupported environment from an application problem.
2. Treat graphics support as a requirement, not a nice-to-have
SAMSON requires a 64-bit operating system and a graphics card that supports OpenGL 4.1. For NVIDIA or AMD GPUs, use the latest available drivers. A computer can appear to meet the operating-system requirements and still have a graphics configuration that prevents required OpenGL features from being available.
This is especially important on virtual machines. If you run SAMSON in one, enable hardware GPU acceleration. Without it, the OpenGL features SAMSON needs may not be available. In practice, this makes graphics configuration worth checking early—before spending time repeating an installation.
3. Know when Linux libraries may be missing
On Linux, some systems may need additional libraries before SAMSON runs correctly. On Ubuntu-like systems, the documentation lists these packages as a possible requirement:
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sudo apt install libxcb-cursor0 libatomic1 |
On CentOS-like systems, it lists:
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sudo dnf install xcb-util* |
These are conditional suggestions, not a guarantee that every system needs the same packages. If OpenGL libraries are missing or incorrectly configured, follow the documentation’s Linux OpenGL driver instructions rather than assuming that installing these packages alone will resolve every graphics issue.
4. You do not need administrator mode to install
SAMSON installs in the user’s home directory and does not require admin rights. The installer also checks that it is not running in admin mode. For a personal workstation, this means you can generally proceed using your own user account instead of elevating privileges. On managed computers, follow your organization’s software policies, particularly when system-level Linux packages or graphics drivers need attention.
A quick pre-install checklist
- Is the operating system 64-bit and listed in the current support matrix?
- Does the graphics card support OpenGL 4.1?
- Are the latest applicable NVIDIA or AMD drivers installed?
- If this is a virtual machine, is hardware GPU acceleration enabled?
- On Linux, are any required libraries or OpenGL components missing?
- Are you running the installer as a regular user rather than in admin mode?
For a deployment across a teaching lab or shared workstation pool, test one representative machine first. That gives you a chance to check the complete graphics path and local dependencies before repeating the setup across many computers.
For the complete, current requirements and platform details, see the SAMSON Requirements and Platforms page. For the installation flow, consult Install SAMSON.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.