---

name: nvidia-tensorrt-llm-exec-slurm-compile description: Compile TensorRT-LLM on a SLURM cluster. Covers submitting a batch job with a container image, monitoring the job, and verifying the build. Use when the user wants to compile TRT-LLM remotely via SLURM rather than on a local compute node. license: Apache-2.0 metadata: author: NVIDIA Corporation

Compile TensorRT-LLM on SLURM Cluster

Submit, monitor, and verify a TensorRT-LLM compilation job on a SLURM cluster using enroot containers.

When to Use

Scenario	Use This Skill?
User wants to compile TRT-LLM on a SLURM cluster	Yes
User is already on a compute node and wants to compile	No — use exec-local-compile skill instead

Finding the Docker Image

The official Docker image tag for a given TensorRT-LLM version is recorded in the repo itself:

<repo_dir>/jenkins/current_image_tags.properties

Read this file to find the current image URL (e.g., urm.nvidia.com/sw-tensorrt-docker/tensorrt-llm:pytorch-25.12-py3-aarch64-ubuntu24.04-trt10.14.1.48-skip-tritondevel-202602011118-10901).

Pre-dumping the Container Image (enroot import)

SLURM clusters using enroot/pyxis require a .sqsh container image. To avoid download overhead at compile time, pre-dump the image in advance using the enroot-import companion script:

# Basic usage — submits a SLURM job on a CPU partition to import the image
enroot-import --partition cpu_datamover --debug <docker_image_url>

The script submits an sbatch job that runs enroot import docker://<image_url> and produces a .sqsh file in the current directory. The output on stdout is the SLURM job ID.

enroot-import flags

Flag	Description
-p, --partition	SLURM partition for the import job (use a CPU partition like cpu_datamover)
-d, --debug	Enable debug output and preserve the SLURM log (recommended)
-o, --output	Custom output path for the .sqsh file
-A, --account	SLURM account (defaults to user's first account)
-t, --time	Time limit for the import job (default: 1 hour)
-n, --just-print	Print the sbatch command without executing
-J, --job-name	Custom job name

enroot-import workflow

1. Read the image tag from jenkins/current_image_tags.properties in the TRT-LLM repo.
2. Run enroot-import to submit the import job:

   cd <directory_where_sqsh_should_be_stored>
   <path_to>/enroot-import --partition cpu_datamover --debug <image_url>
   

   IMPORTANT: Convert urm.nvidia.com/sw-tensorrt-docker/tensorrt-llm:xxx to urm.nvidia.com#sw-tensorrt-docker/tensorrt-llm:xxx to avoid credential issues.
3. Wait for the import job to complete (squeue -j <job_id>).
4. The resulting .sqsh file is the container_image used in the compile step.

Prerequisites

The user must provide (or you must ask for) these values:

Parameter	Description	Example
container_image	Path to .sqsh container image (see enroot import above)	/path/to/pytorch.sqsh
repo_dir	Path to the TensorRT-LLM repository	/path/to/TensorRT-LLM
mount_dir	Top-level directory to bind-mount into the container	/shared/users
partition	SLURM partition	batch
account	SLURM account	my_account

Optional parameters:

Parameter	Description	Default
jobname	SLURM job name	trtllm-compile.<username>
gpu_count	Number of GPUs to request	4
time_limit	Job time limit	02:00:00
arch	GPU architecture(s) for -a flag	100-real
extra_build_args	Extra flags for build_wheel.py	(none)

Companion Scripts

This skill includes three companion scripts in scripts/:

Script	Purpose
enroot-import	Pre-dump a Docker image to .sqsh via a SLURM batch job
submit_compile.sh	Template for submitting the SLURM job — copy and customize
compile.slurm	SLURM batch script — launches the container and calls compile.sh
compile.sh	Runs inside the container — executes build_wheel.py

Scripts directory: skills/nvidia-tensorrt-llm-exec-slurm-compile/scripts/

Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 0: Resolve the Container Image (if needed)

If the user does not already have a .sqsh container image:

1. Read the Docker image tag from <repo_dir>/jenkins/current_image_tags.properties.
2. Use enroot-import to pre-dump it:

   cd <directory_for_sqsh_files>
   <scripts_dir>/enroot-import --partition cpu_datamover --debug <image_url>
   

3. Monitor the import job with squeue -j <job_id>.
4. Once complete, the .sqsh file path becomes the container_image parameter.

If the user already has a .sqsh file, skip this step.

Step 1: Gather Information

Ask the user for any missing prerequisite values listed above. At minimum you need:

• container_image (or the Docker image URL — then run Step 0 first)
• repo_dir
• mount_dir
• partition and account

If the user has used this workflow before, check if previous values are stored in memory files.

Step 2: Prepare the Scripts Directory

The compile scripts must be accessible from inside the container (i.e., under mount_dir). Either:

Option A — Copy companion scripts to a location under mount_dir:

scripts_dir=<mount_dir>/<username>/workspace/tensorrt_llm_scripts
mkdir -p ${scripts_dir}/log
cp skills/nvidia-tensorrt-llm-exec-slurm-compile/scripts/compile.sh ${scripts_dir}/
cp skills/nvidia-tensorrt-llm-exec-slurm-compile/scripts/compile.slurm ${scripts_dir}/
chmod +x ${scripts_dir}/compile.sh ${scripts_dir}/compile.slurm

Option B — If the user already has scripts at a known location, use those directly.

Step 3: Submit the Job

Run sbatch from the login node (or a node with SLURM client access):

sbatch \
    --nodes=1 --ntasks=1 --ntasks-per-node=1 \
    --gres=gpu:<gpu_count> \
    --partition=<partition> \
    --account=<account> \
    --job-name=<jobname> \
    --time=<time_limit> \
    <scripts_dir>/compile.slurm \
    <container_image> <mount_dir> <scripts_dir> <repo_dir>

Capture and report the job ID from the sbatch output.

Step 4: Monitor the Job (Proactive — Do NOT Wait for User)

You MUST actively poll the job until it completes. Do not submit and walk away.

# Check job status (repeat every 30-60 seconds)
squeue -j <job_id> -o "%.18i %.9P %.30j %.8u %.2t %.10M %.6D %R"

# Once running, periodically tail the log (do NOT use tail -f, use tail -30 instead)
tail -30 <scripts_dir>/log/compile_<job_id>.srun.log

Monitoring loop:

1. Poll squeue -j <job_id> to check state
2. If PD (pending) — report the reason, keep polling every 30-60s
3. If R (running) — tail the build log every 30-60s; look for [XX%] Building, errors, or completion
4. If the job disappears from squeue, it has finished — proceed to Step 5
5. If F (failed) — immediately read the full log and report the error

Progress indicators to look for in the log:

• [XX%] Building CXX object... — compilation progress
• Linking CXX... — link phase
• FAILED:, error:, fatal error: — build failure
• Successfully built — success

Step 5: Verify the Build

Once the job completes, check for success:

# Check SLURM exit code
sacct -j <job_id> --format=JobID,State,ExitCode,Elapsed

# Check the build log for errors
tail -50 <scripts_dir>/log/compile_<job_id>.srun.log

A successful build ends with a message like Successfully built tensorrt_llm or completes without error.

Common Build Flags Reference

Flag	Description
--trt_root /usr/local/tensorrt	TensorRT installation path (standard in NVIDIA containers)
--benchmarks	Build the C++ benchmarks
-a "100-real"	Target architecture — 100 for Blackwell, 90 for Hopper, etc.
--nvtx	Enable NVTX markers for profiling
--no-venv	Skip virtual environment creation
--use_ccache	Use ccache to speed up recompilation
--skip_building_wheel	Build in-place without creating a wheel file
-f	Fast build — skip some kernels for faster dev compilation
-c	Clean build — wipe build directory before building

Common architecture values:

• "100-real" — Blackwell (B200, GB200)
• "90-real" — Hopper (H100, H200)
• "89-real" — Ada Lovelace (L40S)
• "80-real" — Ampere (A100)
• "90;100-real" — Multiple architectures

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
sbatch: error: invalid partition	Verify partition name with sinfo -s
sbatch: error: invalid account	Check available accounts with sacctmgr show assoc user=$USER
Container image not found	Verify the .sqsh path exists and is readable
Build fails with missing TensorRT	Ensure --trt_root points to the correct path inside the container
Build OOM (out of memory)	Reduce parallelism with -j <N> flag to build_wheel.py
srun: error: Unable to create step	The node may lack enroot/pyxis — check with cluster admin
Job stuck in PD state	Check squeue -j <id> -o %R for the reason (e.g., resource limits, priority)
enroot import fails with auth error	Check ~/.config/enroot/.credentials has the correct registry credentials
enroot import produces empty/corrupt .sqsh	Re-run with --debug and check the SLURM log; verify the image URL has no https:// prefix
Weird compile issues	Retry with a clean build (-c flag)
QOSGrpNodeLimit shown in NODELIST(REASON)	Not a blocker, just wait for the job to get scheduled

Example Interaction

User: "Compile TRT-LLM on the OCI cluster"

Agent actions:

1. Ask for container image path, repo path, mount dir (if not known)
2. Confirm partition/account for OCI cluster
3. Copy scripts to accessible location under mount_dir
4. Submit with sbatch
5. Report job ID
6. Monitor with squeue until complete
7. Check logs and report success/failure