But stop... What is it `handle_irq` and why do we call our interrupt handler from the interrupt descriptor when we know that `irqaction` points to the actual interrupt handler? Actually the `irq_desc->handle_irq` is a highlevel API for the calling interrupt handler routine. It setups during initialization of the [device tree](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Device_tree) and [APIC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Programmable_Interrupt_Controller) initialization. The kernel selects correct function and call chain of the `irq->action(s)` there. In this way, the `serial21285_tx_chars` or the `serial21285_rx_chars` function will be executed after an interrupt will occur.
But stop... What is it `handle_irq` and why do we call our interrupt handler from the interrupt descriptor when we know that `irqaction` points to the actual interrupt handler? Actually the `irq_desc->handle_irq` is a high-level API for the calling interrupt handler routine. It setups during initialization of the [device tree](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Device_tree) and [APIC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Programmable_Interrupt_Controller) initialization. The kernel selects correct function and call chain of the `irq->action(s)` there. In this way, the `serial21285_tx_chars` or the `serial21285_rx_chars` function will be executed after an interrupt will occur.
In the end of the `do_IRQ` function we call the `irq_exit` function that will exit from the interrupt context, the `set_irq_regs` with the old userspace registers and return:
@ -408,12 +408,12 @@ set_irq_regs(old_regs);
return 1;
```
We already knwo that when an `IRQ` finishes its work, deferred interrupts will be executed if they exist.
We already know that when an `IRQ` finishes its work, deferred interrupts will be executed if they exist.
Ok, the interrupt handler finsihed its execution and now we must return from the interrupt. When the work of the `do_IRQ` function will be finsihed, we will return back to the assembler code in the [arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S](https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/arch/x86/entry_entry_64.S) to the `ret_from_intr` label. First of all we disable interrupts with the `DISABLE_INTERRUPTS` macro that expands to the `cli` instruction and decrement value of the `irq_count` [per-cpu](http://0xax.gitbooks.io/linux-insides/content/Concepts/per-cpu.html) variable. Remember, this variable had value - `1`, when we was in interrupt context:
Ok, the interrupt handler finished its execution and now we must return from the interrupt. When the work of the `do_IRQ` function will be finsihed, we will return back to the assembler code in the [arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S](https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/arch/x86/entry_entry_64.S) to the `ret_from_intr` label. First of all we disable interrupts with the `DISABLE_INTERRUPTS` macro that expands to the `cli` instruction and decrement value of the `irq_count` [per-cpu](http://0xax.gitbooks.io/linux-insides/content/Concepts/per-cpu.html) variable. Remember, this variable had value - `1`, when we were in interrupt context: