What is a non-maskable interrupt?

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What is a non-maskable interrupt?

What is a non-maskable interrupt?

What is a non-maskable interrupt (NMI) and what is its role?

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The basic idea is that a processor can mask or block interrupt requests to have the processor perform a task. A processor will typically not do this unless it gets really bogged down or busy. A non-maskable interrupt is used for very high priority tasks that you don't want the processor to be able to mask when it gets bogged down.

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This was first published in March 2006

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