For molecular modelers working in institutional settings—especially students and researchers without administrative privileges on their workstations—software installation can be a persistent challenge. Many powerful scientific tools require admin rights, which slows down onboarding and introduces a frustrating dependency on IT teams.
If you’re looking to explore or use SAMSON, the integrative platform for molecular design, here’s some excellent news: SAMSON requires no admin rights at all for installation 🚀. Whether you’re working from your university-issued laptop, a virtual machine, or a personal computer in a shared lab, you can get SAMSON up and running on your own terms.
Installed in Your User Space
SAMSON installs directly in your user home directory. This eliminates the common problems caused by permission issues or the need to write to protected system directories. For many users in academic or corporate environments who don’t have admin access, this is a relief.
In fact, SAMSON goes one step further—it intentionally avoids running with admin permissions. During startup, it checks to ensure it’s not running as an administrator to encourage users to keep permissions restrained. This practice also aligns with good security hygiene when working with powerful simulation tools and large datasets.
Installation on Virtual Machines
Planning to install SAMSON on a virtual machine (VM)? It’s possible, with one important requirement: you’ll need to make sure your VM has access to hardware GPU acceleration. Because SAMSON uses OpenGL for rendering molecules and simulations, proper GPU support is essential for stable operation.
If your VM lacks this support, you may run into startup issues or graphical problems. Check your VM software’s documentation on how to enable GPU acceleration—this typically involves allocating virtual GPU resources or enabling passthrough mode on cloud-based virtualization platforms like VirtualBox, VMware, or Parallels.
Invalid Credentials During Installation?
You’re installing SAMSON, but it throws back an error declaring your credentials invalid or that your activation key isn’t working. Before spiraling into frustration, take a deep breath—this is a common fixable issue.
Here’s a quick checklist:
- Ensure the email you’re using matches the one used to register on SAMSON Connect.
- Double-check your SAMSON Key: make sure you’ve copied it correctly—no extra spaces or symbols.
- You can access or re-copy your key from your Account on SAMSON Connect.
Installing an Older Version
Need compatibility with a specific project or plugin? SAMSON allows users to install older versions too. During Step 2 of the installation wizard, simply check the box labeled Install an older version. You’ll then be able to choose from a list that includes developer version numbers (e.g. 2.0.2 for 2021).
Even with multiple SAMSON versions installed, you can choose which one to run:
- Windows:
C:/Users/%USERNAME%/OneAngstrom/SAMSON-Application/10.0.0/Binaries/SAMSON-Core.exe - MacOS:
$HOME/Applications/SAMSON.app/ - Linux:
$HOME/OneAngstrom/SAMSON-Application/10.0.0/Binaries/SAMSON-Core.sh
Final Thoughts
Being able to install a full-featured molecular simulation platform like SAMSON without administrator rights saves valuable time and lets you focus on your research. Whether you’re a student balancing class projects or a researcher iterating new molecular models, this is one less roadblock in your workflow.
For more insights and support, visit the full FAQ on the documentation site: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/faq/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.