Interrupts

What does Interrupts mean?

In computing, an interrupt is a signal Sent to a computer hardware or software system to indicate the occurrence of an event requiring immediate attention. Interrupts are used to halt the normal flow of program execution and switch to an interrupt handler routine, which performs the necessary actions to handle the event.

Interrupts can be generated by hardware devices, such as timers or input/output devices, or by software, such as operating systems or application programs. When an interrupt occurs, the processor saves the current state of the program, such as the registers and program counter, and jumps to the interrupt handler routine. The interrupt handler routine performs the necessary actions, such as servicing the hardware device or handling the software event, and then returns control to the program.

Interrupts are an essential part of computer systems, as they allow the system to respond to external events and perform tasks that require immediate attention. Without interrupts, the system would not be able to respond to events such as keyboard input, mouse movement, or timer events.

Applications

Interrupts are used in a wide variety of applications in technology today, including:

• I/O handling: Interrupts are used to alert the processor when an I/O device, such as a keyboard or mouse, has data to be Read or written.
• Timer management: Interrupts are used to generate Regular time intervals, which can be used to schedule tasks or measure execution time.
• Event handling: Interrupts are used to signal the occurrence of specific events, such as the completion of a task or the arrival of a message.
• Virtualization: Interrupts are used to isolate virtual machines from each other and from the host system.
• Real-time computing: Interrupts are used to ensure that critical tasks are executed in a timely manner.

History

The concept of interrupts was first introduced in the 1950s, with the development of the UNIVAC I computer. The UNIVAC I used a system of priority interrupts to handle multiple events simultaneously. In the 1960s, interrupts were incorporated into the design of the IBM System/360, which became the de facto standard for computer architecture.

Since then, interrupts have become an essential part of all Modern computer systems. The development of new hardware technologies, such as multi-core processors and solid-state drives, has led to the development of new interrupt handling techniques. Today, interrupts are used in a wide variety of applications, from simple I/O handling to complex real-time systems.