Table 5-1, IRQ5 is assigned to parallel port 2; this port
is generally available in most microcomputers and is
commonly used by most sound cards. When
microprocessors expanded from 8-bit to 16-bit proces-
sors, the amount of hardware supported also grew. This
required the addition of more IRQ channels. Manufac-
turers added an additional 8-channel processor and cas-
caded them by connecting IRQ2 on processor to IRQ9.
The latest development in microcomputer technol-
ogy concerning interrupt processing is the Plug-n-Play
feature. A true plug and play system requires three
components to work together; the hardware, the BIOS,
and the operating system. During the power-on cycle
of computers that are Plug-n-Play capable, the firmware
contained in the basic input/output system (BIOS)
interrogates each component in the system to determine
the type of board, IRQ channel requirements, DMA
channel requirements, and ROM requirements. The
board responds with the specifications it requires, then
the BIOS assigns IRQs, DMA, ROM resources, etc., to
all the boards, ensuring that there are no conflicts. The
functions of the BIOS are covered in detail later in this
chapter. This process is repeated every time the
computer is turned on.
Controllers that are not
Plug-n-Play compatible can be installed by using the
standard configuration program and locking the
resource to those unique settings.
MINI AND MAINFRAME INTERRUPT
TYPES. Within larger computers, interrupts are
divided into a number of separate classes. Multiple
classes of interrupts are needed because there are
several levels of processing within these computers and
many different types of operations and conditions that
have to be monitored. Some operations and conditions
are more important than others.
There are generally three or four classes of
interrupts, which we designate class I, II, III, and IV.
Interrupts are prioritized by these classes and by the
types of interrupts within a class. Class I interrupts are
the highest priority or most important interrupt class as
far as the computer is concerned. The other classes (II,
III, and IV) are in turn lower in priority than Class I.
Class I Interrupts. Class I interrupts function
during all computer operations; in other words, they
will interrupt any computer program or instruction.
These are the highest priority interrupts. Known as
fault and hardware or hardware error interrupts,
these interrupts indicate there is a serious hardware
problem with the computer, or more accurately within
the CPU or its communication buses. The following are
some of the more common class I interrupts:
Power fault or power tolerance
Memory parity errors
Memory resume errors
Bus communication errors
The most common class I interrupt is the power
fault or power tolerance interrupt. This interrupt
indicates that the power supply voltage has fallen below
a certain tolerance level and that the computer should
execute its power failure processing routines before
there is a total loss of power. The actual routines will
vary from computer to computer based on the devices
automatic restart and backup storage power
capabilities.
Class II Interrupts. Class II interrupts are used
to identify faults and errors within the CPU or IOC
instruction execution and program timing processes.
These software interrupts can indicate the following
conditions:
Execution of illegal instruction operation (op)
codes (CPU or IOC instructions)
Execution of privileged instructions in the task
mode
Floating-point math underflow or overflow
conditions
Real-time clock (RTC) overflow
Monitor clock timeouts
Class III Interrupts. Class III interrupts are
primarily I/O operation interrupts. They indicate
such functions as the following:
External interrupts
Input or output chain interrupts
Intercomputer timeouts
Input data ready or output data ready interrupts
Class IV Interrupts. In some computers, there is
a class IV interrupt that indicates executive state
entrance. In others, the executive state entrance is a
class II interrupt. A limited number of instructions can
be executed only in the executive states. Among them
are privileged instructions.
MINI AND MAINFRAME INTERRUPT
LOCKOUT OF CLASS I, II, III, AND IV
TYPES. Computers that operate with different levels
of interrupts are equipped with the logic circuitry to
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