What is an interrupt? Explain each of the conditions under which an interrupt occurs 5m Dec2005
Interrupt
An interrupt is an external signal that occurs due to an exceptional event. It causes interruption in the execution of current program of CPU. An interrupt may be generated by a number of sources, which may beeither internal or external to the CPU.
When an interrupt occurs, it is acknowledged by the CPU, which executes an interrupt cycle which causes interruption of currently executing program, and execution of interrupt servicing routine (ISR) for that interrupt.