Polled Interrupt

What Does Polled Interrupt Mean?

A polled interrupt is a certain kind of input/output (I/O) interrupt that sends a message to the part of the computer that houses the I/O interface. The message states that a device is ready to be accessed without an identifying device.

Advertisements

Techopedia Explains Polled Interrupt

An interrupt controller will poll all devices on a computer to determine which one sent out the request. Polled interrupt is an inefficient method of data transfer, spending much time checking the ready condition of a computer’s devices.

An alternative that is more efficient is a vectored interrupt, which can send a signal that includes the identity of the device. All input/output in modern computers is done by interrupt-driven I/Os, which interrupt the process when they are ready to transfer data. The processor will perform other tasks while waiting for an interrupt.

Advertisements

Related Terms

Latest Home Networks Terms

Related Reading

Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…