In this paper we address the problem of correctly configuring interrupts. The interrupt subsystem of a computer is increasingly complex: a zoo of different controllers with varying constraints and capabilities form a network with limited connectivity. An OS which aspires to provable correctness must manage a limited set of interrupt vectors, delegate interrupts to device drivers and configure the controllers correctly. No well-specified approach exists.

As a foundation for applying language-level techniques like program sketching and synthesis to this problem, we present a formal model for interrupt routing which can capture all the system topologies and interrupt controllers we have encountered in the wild, show applications of such a model not possible with informal, ad-hoc approaches like DeviceTrees, and finally discuss an implementation based on the model which forms the new interrupt subsystem of the Barrelfish OS.