The use of interrupts in a time-sharing computer system.

Abstract

Digital computer interrupts are becoming more important as these machines increase in the interaction with their environment. Different methods of interrupt implementation are described. They are then analyzed in the areas of response time, overhead , and saturation. Examples of the use of interrupts in different computational environments are given. Five modifications to a general purpose computer system are proposed. These modifications, each of which used interrupts, enable the system to be more easily used in a limited time-sharing mode. The results of these modifications are compared to those of the software that would be required to accomplish the same objectives.