polled interrupt
In a computer, a polled interrupt is a specific type of I/O interrupt that notifies the part of the computer containing the I/O interface that a device is ready to be read or otherwise handled but does not indicate which device. The interrupt controller must poll (send a signal out to) each device to determine which one made the request.
The alternative to a polled interrupt is a vectored interrupt , an interrupt signal that includes the identity of the device sending the interrupt signal.
This was last updated in September 2005