[petsc-dev] git submodules

[Nystrom, William D]

I have a git project that I call petsc_dev that contains my scripts and infrastructure for
building various flavors of petsc-dev i.e. with various packages including supported
external packages.  Within my petsc_dev git repo, I'd like to keep a clone of the
petsc git repo.  I'd like to be able to periodically update this petsc repo from the
official petsc repo.  I'd also like to maintain personal branches in my clone of the
petsc repo.  Finally, when I clone my top level project, petsc_dev, I'd like it to include
the petsc clone.

Is git submodules the way to go with this?  I'm reading Ch 15 of Loeliger's book which
discusses combining projects within git.  He said that git submodules were not that
great at the time he wrote the book in 2009.  But that was 3-4 years ago.  Are git
submodules improved enough at this time to be the right way to go with what I want
to do or should I use one of the hacks that Loeliger suggests in his book?

Thanks,

Dave

--
Dave Nystrom
LANL HPC-5
Phone: 505-667-7913
Email: wdn at lanl.gov
Smail: Mail Stop B272
       Group HPC-5
       Los Alamos National Laboratory
       Los Alamos, NM 87545