Difference between Maskable and Non Maskable Interrupt Last Updated : 28 Dec, 2024 Summarize Comments Improve Suggest changes Share Like Article Like Report An Interrupt is an event caused by a component other than the CPU. It indicates the CPU of an external event that requires immediate attention. Interrupts occur asynchronously. Maskable and non-maskable interrupts are two types of interrupts. What is Maskable Interrupt?An interrupt that can be disabled or ignored by the instructions of CPU are called as Maskable Interrupt. The interrupts are either edge-triggered or level-triggered.Eg: RST6.5,RST7.5,RST5.5 of 8085 Advantages of Maskable Interrupt Flexibility : Maskable interrupt can be selectively enabled or disabled so that more control can be exercised over the system performance. Lower Priority Handling : It is useful in managing tasks with lower priority, so the CPU has time to spend on more critical processes. Disadvantages of Maskable Interrupt If a maskable interrupt is disabled then important events may be missed. It will undoubtedly produce higher response time since these interrupts can be deferred, and the response times might be higher as well compared with non-maskable interrupts. What is Non-Maskable Interrupt ?An interrupt that cannot be disabled or ignored by the instructions of CPU are called as Non-Maskable Interrupt. A Non-maskable interrupt is often used when response time is critical or when an interrupt should never be disable during normal system operation. Such uses include reporting non-recoverable hardware errors, system debugging and profiling and handling of species cases like system resets.Eg: Trap of 8085 Advantages of Non-Maskable Interrupt They ensure that some events which may prevail, such as a failure of hardware, are captured promptly. NMIs cannot be ignored by the system. Hence, these will contribute to greater stability and error reporting. Disadvantages of Non-Maskable Interrupt NMIs can not be masked and hence sometimes critical process interruptions have a tendency to prevail if not properly handled. Management of NMIs is often a bit complex since they are critical. Difference between Maskable and Non Maskable InterruptNow, let's discuss their key differences on various pointsSr No.Maskable InterruptNo Maskable Interrupt1Maskable interrupt is a hardware Interrupt that can be disabled or ignored by the instructions of CPU.A non-maskable interrupt is a hardware interrupt that cannot be disabled or ignored by the instructions of CPU.2When maskable interrupt occur, it can be handled after executing the current instruction.When non-maskable interrupts occur, the current instructions and status are stored in stack for the CPU to handle the interrupt.3Maskable interrupts help to handle lower priority tasks.Non-maskable interrupt help to handle higher priority tasks such as watchdog timer.4Maskable interrupts used to interface with peripheral device.Non maskable interrupt used for emergency purpose e.g power failure, smoke detector etc .5In maskable interrupts, response time is high.In non maskable interrupts, response time is low.6It may be vectored or non-vectored.All are vectored interrupts.7Operation can be masked or made pending.Operation Cannot be masked or made pending.8RST6.5, RST7.5, and RST5.5 of 8085 are some common examples of maskable Interrupts.Trap of 8085 microprocessor is an example for non-maskable interrupt.ConclusionThe idea of maskable vs. non-maskable interrupts holds a critical place in system design and performance optimization. Maskable interrupts have a lot of room for executing comparatively less-priority jobs, while non-maskable interrupts guarantee that the most important events are noticed in time. That increases both the system's reliability and the responsiveness to the proper use of each of them. Comment More infoAdvertise with us A adware Follow Improve Article Tags : Computer Organization & Architecture Similar Reads Architecture of 8085 microprocessor A microprocessor is fabricated on a single integrated circuit (IC) or chip that is used as a central processing unit (CPU).The 8085 microprocessor is an 8-bit microprocessor that was developed by Intel in the mid-1970s. It was widely used in the early days of personal computing and was a popular cho 11 min read Memory Hierarchy Design and its Characteristics In the Computer System Design, Memory Hierarchy is an enhancement to organize the memory such that it can minimize the access time. The Memory Hierarchy was developed based on a program behavior known as locality of references (same data or nearby data is likely to be accessed again and again). The 6 min read Direct Memory Access (DMA) Controller in Computer Architecture In modern computer systems, transferring data between input/output devices and memory can be a slow process if the CPU is required to manage every step. To address this, a Direct Memory Access (DMA) Controller is utilized. A Direct Memory Access (DMA) Controller solves this by allowing I/O devices t 5 min read Cache Memory in Computer Organization Cache memory is a small, high-speed storage area in a computer. It stores copies of the data from frequently used main memory locations. There are various independent caches in a CPU, which store instructions and data. The most important use of cache memory is that it is used to reduce the average t 11 min read RISC and CISC in Computer Organization RISC is the way to make hardware simpler whereas CISC is the single instruction that handles multiple work. In this article, we are going to discuss RISC and CISC in detail as well as the Difference between RISC and CISC, Let's proceed with RISC first. Reduced Instruction Set Architecture (RISC) The 5 min read IEEE 802.11 Architecture The IEEE 802.11 standard, commonly known as Wi-Fi, outlines the architecture and defines the MAC and physical layer specifications for wireless LANs (WLANs). Wi-Fi uses high-frequency radio waves instead of cables for connecting the devices in LAN. Given the mobility of WLAN nodes, they can move unr 9 min read Logical and Physical Address in Operating System A logical address is generated by the CPU while a program is running. The logical address is a virtual address as it does not exist physically, therefore, it is also known as a Virtual Address. The physical address describes the precise position of necessary data in a memory. Before they are used, t 5 min read Programmable peripheral interface 8255 PPI 8255 is a general purpose programmable I/O device designed to interface the CPU with its outside world such as ADC, DAC, keyboard etc. We can program it according to the given condition. It can be used with almost any microprocessor. It consists of three 8-bit bidirectional I/O ports i.e. PORT A 4 min read Difference between Hardware and Software A computer system consists of two main parts: Hardware and Software. Hardware refers to the physical components, like the CPU and RAM, while Software includes the programs and applications that control these components. Both are essential for the computer to function properly, and they work together 4 min read Introduction of Embedded Systems | Set-1 Before going to the overview of Embedded Systems, Let's first know the two basic things i.e., embedded and system, and what actually do they mean. System is a set of interrelated parts/components which are designed/developed to perform common tasks or to do some specific work for which it has been c 6 min read Like