A molecular model can be ready to inspect, but SAMSON may fail to launch—or open without displaying correctly—if Linux cannot provide the graphics libraries it needs. This can be frustrating because the cause may be below the application level: a missing OpenGL library, an unsuitable driver, or a graphics card that does not meet the required OpenGL version.
Here is a practical way to investigate the problem in stages. The commands below come from SAMSON’s troubleshooting guidance for Linux. Some package names and library paths vary by distribution, so check the results on your own system before changing anything.
1. Identify the graphics hardware
Start by finding out which graphics device Linux sees. In a terminal, run:
|
1 |
lspci | grep VGA |
You can also use:
|
1 |
sudo lshw -c video |
If the output identifies an NVIDIA or AMD card, consult the driver instructions for your Linux distribution and GPU. If it shows only integrated Intel graphics, the system may need Mesa to provide OpenGL support. SAMSON requires a graphics card supporting OpenGL 3.2, so identifying the device is a useful first check—not just a way to choose a package.
2. Check whether OpenGL is available
On Debian-based systems such as Ubuntu, check for OpenGL information and the relevant library files:
|
1 2 3 |
glxinfo | grep OpenGL locate libOpenGL.so locate libGL.so |
If glxinfo is not available, the mesa-utils package can provide it. The locate command searches an index of files; if its results seem incomplete, refresh that index first:
|
1 |
sudo updatedb |
For AMD graphics, SAMSON’s troubleshooting page also recommends checking for libGLX.so:
|
1 2 3 |
locate libOpenGL.so locate libGLX.so locate libGL.so |
These checks help distinguish between a driver issue and a library that is absent or not discoverable. Keep the full paths shown in the output: library locations can differ between systems.
3. Install the appropriate packages
For Debian-based systems using integrated graphics, the documentation suggests installing Mesa and its utilities:
|
1 |
sudo apt-get install libgl1-mesa-dev mesa-utils |
For Ubuntu-like systems experiencing a missing xcb dependency at launch, it lists these packages:
|
1 |
sudo apt install libxcb-xinerama0 libxcb-cursor0 |
On CentOS-like systems, the page suggests installing xcb-util* packages with dnf. Package availability and naming can depend on the operating-system version, so use the package manager appropriate to your system.
4. Treat library links as a last, system-specific step
The troubleshooting page describes creating symbolic links when libOpenGL.so or libGLX.so is missing. These examples use particular paths, including paths tied to a SAMSON version or an Ubuntu-style library directory. Do not copy them blindly: first confirm that the source library exists at that exact location and that the destination is the missing library expected by your setup. A link to the wrong file or path will not solve the underlying issue. When in doubt, installing the correct graphics driver or Mesa package is the more appropriate place to start.
A useful order of operations is: identify the GPU, check the OpenGL libraries, install the driver or Mesa packages for your distribution, and only then investigate a missing-library link. This makes it easier to see which change addresses the problem.
For the full troubleshooting reference, see SAMSON Troubleshooting.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.