Essentials of Computer Organization and Architecture, 5th Edition

4.7   INTERRUPTS

We have introduced the basic hardware information required for a solid understanding of computer architecture: the CPU, buses, control unit, registers, clocks, I/O, and memory. However, there is one more concept we need to cover that deals with how these components interact with the processor: Interrupts are events that alter (or interrupt) the normal flow of execution in the system. An interrupt can be triggered for a variety of reasons, including:

• I/O requests

• Arithmetic errors (e.g., division by 0)

• Arithmetic underflow or overflow

• Hardware malfunction (e.g., memory parity error)

• User-defined break points (such as when debugging a program)

• Page faults (this is covered in detail in Chapter 6)

• Invalid instructions (usually ...