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Interrupt request
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<p>In a <a href="/facts/Computer/SQe1aK05">computer</a>, an interrupt request (or IRQ) is a hardware signal sent to the processor that temporarily stops a running program and allows a special program, an <a href="/facts/Interrupt_handler/r9ptAjy7">interrupt handler</a>, to run instead. Hardware interrupts are used to handle events such as receiving data from a <a href="/facts/Modem/9H0Xwtq0">modem</a> or <a href="/facts/Network_card/wyf5FR29">network card</a>, key presses, or mouse movements. </p><p>Interrupt lines are often identified by an index with the format of <i>IRQ</i> followed by a number. For example, on the <a href="/facts/Intel_8259/Y5FhqM6G">Intel 8259</a> family of <a href="/facts/Programmable_interrupt_controller/0ukSAuF1">programmable interrupt controllers</a> (PICs) there are eight interrupt inputs commonly referred to as <i>IRQ0</i> through <i>IRQ7</i>. In <a href="/facts/X86/Kypq5fgu">x86</a> based <a href="/facts/Computer_system/SQe1aK05">computer systems</a> that use two of these <a href="/facts/Programmable_Interrupt_Controller/0ukSAuF1">PICs</a>, the combined set of lines are referred to as <i>IRQ0</i> through <i>IRQ15</i>. Technically these lines are named <i>IR0</i> through <i>IR7</i>, and the lines on the <a href="/facts/Industry_Standard_Architecture/5Rk4bjqB">ISA</a> bus to which they were historically attached are named <i>IRQ0</i> through <i>IRQ15</i> (although historically as the number of hardware devices increased, the total possible number of interrupts was increased by means of cascading requests, by making one of the IRQ numbers cascade to another set or sets of numbered IRQs, handled by one or more subsequent controllers). </p><p>Newer <a href="/facts/X86/Kypq5fgu">x86</a> systems integrate an <a href="/facts/Advanced_Programmable_Interrupt_Controller/40lXS8r6">Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller</a> (APIC) that conforms to the Intel APIC Architecture. Each Local APIC typically support up to 255 IRQ lines, with each I/O APIC typically support up to 24 IRQ lines. </p><p>During the early years of personal computing, IRQ management was often of user concern. With the introduction of <a href="/facts/Plug_and_play/LISny9tL">plug and play</a> devices this has been alleviated through automatic configuration. </p>