Editing Interrupt (section)

{{Short description|Signal to a computer processor emitted by hardware or software}}
{{About|computer interrupts conceptually|interrupts on the PC architecture|Interrupt request (PC architecture)|other uses|Interruption (disambiguation){{!}}Interruption}}
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[[File:Interrupt Process.PNG|thumb|Interrupt sources and processor handling]]

In [[digital computer]]s, an '''interrupt''' (sometimes referred to as a '''trap''')<ref name="Jargon_2003">{{cite web |title=The Jargon File, version 4.4.7 |date=2003-10-27 |access-date=20 January 2022|url=http://catb.org/esr/jargon/html/T/trap.html}}</ref> is a request for the [[central processing unit|processor]] to ''interrupt'' currently executing code (when permitted), so that the event can be processed in a timely manner. If the request is accepted, the processor will suspend its current activities, save its [[state (computer science)|state]], and execute a [[Function (programming)|function]] called an ''[[interrupt handler]]'' (or an ''interrupt service routine'', ISR) to deal with the event. This interruption is often temporary, allowing the software to resume{{efn|The operating system might resume the interrupted [[process (computing)|process]] or might switch to a different process.}} normal activities after the interrupt handler finishes, although the interrupt could instead indicate a fatal error.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://lwn.net/images/pdf/LDD3/ch10.pdf|title=''Linux Device Drivers'', Third Edition, Chapter 10. Interrupt Handling|year=2005|access-date=December 25, 2014|author1=Jonathan Corbet|author2=Alessandro Rubini|author3=Greg Kroah-Hartman|publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]]|page=269|quote=Then it's just a matter of cleaning up, running software interrupts, and getting back to regular work. The "regular work" may well have changed as a result of an interrupt (the handler could <code>wake_up</code> a process, for example), so the last thing that happens on return from an interrupt is a possible rescheduling of the processor.}}</ref>

Interrupts are commonly used by hardware devices to indicate electronic or physical state changes that require time-sensitive attention. Interrupts are also commonly used to implement [[computer multitasking]] and [[system call]]s, especially in [[real-time computing]]. Systems that use interrupts in these ways are said to be interrupt-driven.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sltf.com/articles/pein/pein9505.htm|title=Basics of Interrupts|last=Rosenthal|first=Scott|date=May 1995|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426144654/http://www.sltf.com/articles/pein/pein9505.htm|archive-date=2016-04-26|url-status=dead|access-date=2010-11-11}}</ref>