For many researchers and students working in universities, biotech companies, or public labs, installing software without administrator rights can be surprisingly difficult. IT policies, locked systems, and resource approval cycles often get in the way—preventing scientists from quickly testing or adopting new molecular modeling platforms. If this sounds familiar, there’s good news.
SAMSON, the integrative platform for molecular design, makes it easy to get started without requiring admin rights. This capability is especially valuable for molecular modelers, structural biologists, chemoinformatics specialists, and educators who need to work quickly across diverse environments and platforms.
Zero-Admin Installation Made Simple
Unlike many modeling or simulation tools, SAMSON installs entirely in the user’s home directory. This means:
- No need to ask IT for elevated permissions
- No modifications to the system registry or root folders
- Users can fully manage and update their own installs
The installer has been designed with security and autonomy in mind. SAMSON even checks at startup that it is not running in admin mode, to safeguard data and encourage the principle of least privilege.
Platform Support Overview
SAMSON is available on all major platforms:
- Windows 10 and 11
- macOS 12 through 15 (Intel and Apple Silicon)
- Linux distributions like Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 42+, and CentOS
You’ll just need a 64-bit operating system and a graphics card supporting OpenGL 4.1. If you’re using NVIDIA or AMD cards, make sure to install suitable drivers.
Installation Snapshot
The installation process doesn’t take long. After downloading the installer from SAMSON Connect and signing in, you’ll be asked to enter your email and SAMSON key (both are provided when you register).
The installer will walk you through a compact set of steps, including optional proxy configuration and selection of SAMSON Extensions.
Once completed, you can launch SAMSON immediately and begin modeling, designing, or simulating nanosystems.
Running SAMSON on Linux without Root Access
On Linux systems (especially Ubuntu-like environments), you may need to install a few additional libraries:
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sudo apt install libxcb-cursor0 libatomic1 |
And on CentOS-like systems:
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sudo dnf install xcb-util* |
However, these steps involve system-level commands. If you can’t run these, reaching out to your system administrator once might be enough to unlock long-term benefits (the rest of SAMSON requires no admin privileges).
Takeaway
Admin rights don’t have to be a barrier to powerful molecular modeling and simulation. SAMSON’s user-level installation removes unnecessary friction for students, researchers, and professionals working in constrained IT environments. Whether you’re in a teaching lab or deep in structure-based drug design, you can control your setup from start to finish.
To explore full details and platform-specific instructions, visit the official documentation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/getting-started/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get started at https://www.samson-connect.net.