8-8
x86 MICROPROCESSORS
8.3 | Software Interrupts
What is meant by the term ‘software interrupt’? When an interrupt is initiated by an
instruction, it is called a software interrupt. The format of this instruction is:
INT type number
The type numbers can vary from 0 to 255. This is a very important and interesting way
of using procedures whose vectors are inserted into the IVT. Thus, the user can write any
procedure as an ISR, store it in some address in memory and call it by using the instruction
INT n. Before using it this way, the user must however insert the CS and IP values of his ISR
in the IVT in the location corresponding to INT n.
Hardware interrupt service routines can be tested using software interrupts. Take the
case of NMI, ...