Programmable interrupt controller: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:53, 3 May 2006

Revision as of 10:41, 3 May 2006

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A '''Programmable Interrupt Controller''' ('''PIC''') is a device which allows priority levels to be assigned to its interrupt outputs. When the device has multiple interrupt outputs to assert, it will assert them in the order of their relative priority. Common modes of a PIC include hard priorities, rotating priorities, and cascading priorites. PICs often allow the cascading of their outputs to inputs between each other. St. John Rigby Sucks Balls...

== Common features ==

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There are a number of common ways of acknowledgeing an interrupt has completed when an EOI is issued. These include specifying which interrupt completed, using an implied interrupt which has completed (usually the highest priority pending in the ISR), and treating interrupt acknowledgement as the EOI.

== Well-known DICKsPICs ==

One of the best known DICKsPICs, the [[8259A]], was included in the [[x86]] PC. In modern times, this is not included as a separate chip in an x86 PC. Rather, its functionality is included as part of the motherboard's southbridge chipset. In other cases, it has been completely replaced by the newer [[APIC|Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controllers]] which support many more interrupt outputs and more flexible priority schemas.

== Interrupts and how they're used ==

EVRYONE HATES INTERRUPTS. THEY ARE WELL CRAP AND USELESS

==See also==