What is ISR Full Form in Computer?

The ISR full form on the computer is Interrupt Service Routine. The ISR is a simple routine or program that a computer’s operating system executes in response to an interrupt signal, either from hardware or software. When an interrupt occurs, the CPU stops the currently executed task, saves its state, and then executes the previously set ISR for event handling. This mechanism becomes highly instrumental in handling real-time events that include keyboard inputs, mouse movements, and hardware failures to ensure instant response of the system to a vital event, maintaining smooth operability and stability.

Importance of ISR in Real-Time Computing Environments

ISR systems are especially important in real-time computing environments where immediate and urgent responses to external events may be critical. They make sure that high-priority tasks, such as processing sensor data or user input, immediately enter the execution process without waiting for any other currently running processes. Efficient management of ISRs contributes much to sustaining responsiveness and reliability in many applications, such as industrial automation, robotics, and communication systems, where delays might have great consequences or lead to failures.

Approaches to Improve the Performance of ISR

With a view to improving the performance of the system, ISR should be optimized to take minimum execution time and generally handle only the most important tasks. This the developers can do by keeping the ISRs as brief as possible, not involving any long-running operations or complicated computations within the ISRs, and deferring less critical jobs to the background of the main program flow. Also, correct usage of interrupt priorities and proper handling of nested interrupts will help keep the system stable and responsive and ensure that time-critical operations are neither delayed nor interrupted unnecessarily.