[Feature]: Improve repeated container build time by using git modules

[jbelloncastro]

Suggestion Description

A lot of the dependencies are cloned during container builds from remote git repositories, both directly via git commands and indirectly via CMake's external projects.

Iterating on small changes makes repetitive remote downloads very time consuming. In addition, given the recent Github outages, it can even mean it is not possible to build the project anymore.

I have been able to move some of the build's clone steps to use a mounted local repository set up as a git submodule. Would that make sense to include it in here too?

You can see an example of what I am talking about here: https://github.com/ROCm/rocm-aic/compare/main...jbelloncastro:rocm-aic:jorgeb/patch-nixl?expand=1

Thank you

Operating System

No response

GPU

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ROCm Component

No response

[sbates130272]

Thanks @jbelloncastro. We can take a look at this. I assume this bind mounts from the host and uses local clones. We would need to make sure they are totoally clean checkouts at the appropriate tag but that seems doable.

[jbelloncastro]

The idea is that the submodules branch and commit are part of the parent repository commit (rocm-aic in this case).
Not only reduces repeating container image build times but also enables easier local changes when trying out small fixes or features.

The checkouts can be made clean by simply creating a clone of the mounted volume instead of using the mounted volume as source (the latter would need out-of-source builds). There is still a clone every build, but it is local instead of remote.