pysoundofinterrupts

Sonify and visualize Linux kernel interrupts by reading /proc/interrupts: listen to the system like a stethoscope or plot its activity in real time.

• Course: Used in the Operating Systems course (Sistemas Operativos) at FaMAF-UNC (Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía, Física y Computación, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba).
• Credits: Based on ideas by Nicolás Wolovick: each interrupt drives the speaker in 1-bit PCM fashion (ZX-Spectrum style). If there are about 100 interrupts per second, you hear something like a 100 Hz tone.

Linux only - the program reads /proc/interrupts. On other systems it exits with a clear message.

Links: PyPI · Repository

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Installation

Requirements: Python 3.10+, Linux.

With pipx (recommended)

Install and run in an isolated environment without touching your global Python.

PyPI (last published release):

pipx install pysoundofinterrupts

This repository is 0.2.0 (src package layout). Until that version is on PyPI, install from a clone or GitHub:

pipx install .
# or: pipx install git+https://github.com/pablogventura/pysoundofinterrupts.git

For development against this tree (changes apply without reinstall):

pipx install -e .

This makes the interrupts-sound (audio) and interrupts-plot (graph) commands available.

With pip

pip install pysoundofinterrupts

Same note as pipx: use a clone (pip install .) if you need 0.2.0 before it is on PyPI.

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Usage

Command	Description
interrupts-sound	Listen to kernel interrupts in real time (audio).
interrupts-plot	Real-time plot by type (LOC, RES, CAL, TLB).

Real-time sound

interrupts-sound

Press Enter to exit. To calibrate the level:

Option	Environment variable	Description
--subtractor	INTERRUPTS_SUBTRACTOR	Subtract a floor from rate (default 1000)
--divider	INTERRUPTS_DIVIDER	Divide the rate (default 25)
--amplitude	INTERRUPTS_AMPLITUDE	Volume 0-1 (default 0.2)

Example:

interrupts-sound --subtractor 800 --divider 20

Real-time plot

interrupts-plot

Shows interrupts by type (LOC, RES, CAL, TLB). Options:

Option	Environment variable	Description
--x-max	INTERRUPTS_PLOT_X_MAX	Points on X axis (default 100)
--y-max	INTERRUPTS_PLOT_Y_MAX	Y axis upper limit (default 5000)
--interval	INTERRUPTS_PLOT_INTERVAL	Update interval in ms (default 50)

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Development and tests

Clone the repo, create a virtualenv, and install in editable mode with test extras:

git clone https://github.com/pablogventura/pysoundofinterrupts.git
cd pysoundofinterrupts
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[test]"
pytest tests/ -v

The suite uses mock /proc/interrupts files and does not open audio devices or a GUI. Unit tests do not require a live /proc/interrupts.

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Publishing to PyPI

From the project directory, with build and twine installed:

pip install build twine
./scripts/publish_to_pypi.sh

The first time, configure your PyPI credentials (token in ~/.pypirc or TWINE_USERNAME and TWINE_PASSWORD). See Twine: Configuration.

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Troubleshooting

• No audio: Check your default output device. The program uses the system default or the first available output device.
• Linux only: On Windows or macOS the program exits stating it requires Linux.
• Permissions: Reading /proc/interrupts usually does not require root. If it fails, check that the file exists: ls /proc/interrupts.

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License

MIT. See LICENSE in the repository.