Keskeytyskäsittelijät

Keskeytyskäsittelijät, also known as interrupt handlers, are essential components of computer operating systems responsible for managing hardware interrupts. When a hardware device, such as a keyboard or disk drive, needs the processor's attention, it generates an interrupt signal. The processor temporarily suspends its current task and transfers control to a specific piece of code called the interrupt handler or interrupt service routine (ISR).

The primary function of a keskeytyskäsittelijä is to quickly acknowledge the interrupt, determine its source, and perform the necessary actions to service the interrupting device. This might involve reading data from a buffer, updating device status, or signaling a waiting process. After the interrupt has been handled, the keskeytyskäsittelijä typically returns control to the interrupted program, allowing it to resume its execution as if nothing had happened.

Efficient interrupt handling is crucial for system responsiveness and performance. If interrupts are not handled promptly, the system can become sluggish, and data might be lost. Operating systems employ various techniques, such as interrupt prioritization and masking, to manage the flow of interrupts and ensure that critical events are addressed in a timely manner. The design and implementation of keskeytyskäsittelijät are a fundamental aspect of low-level system programming.