Software interrupt invokes system calls - Operating System

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• Nirja Shah   -Posted on 23 Nov 15
  - When an application software terminates or when it requests the operating system for some service it is known as a software interrupt.
  
  - This is same as a hardware interrupt, which occurs at the hardware level.
  
  - This interrupt only communicates with the kernel and indirectly interrupts the central processing unit.
  
  - They are associated with an interrupt handler, which is actually just a routine that is activated when an interrupt happens.
  
  - Only one bit of information is communicated during a software interrupt.
  
  - It is also used to perform an input/output request.
  
  - This request, in turn, calls kernel routines that actually perform the service.
  
  - It often emulates most of the features of a hardware interrupt.
  
  - Like a hardware interrupt, it calls only a specific interrupt vector and saves the accumulators and registers.
  
  - It can also make use of some of the hardware interrupt routines.
  
  - Similar in functionality to a subroutine call, it is used for different purposes in a device.
  

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