Patent ID: 7412538

Claim:
A method comprising: accessing a network service database containing a plurality of service offerings that aggregate capabilities of a plurality of devices coupled as a network; receiving a service-centric based request from a user, based on one or more of said service offerings; determining one or more resources of said network for carrying out said service-centric based request from said network service database, wherein said resources include one or more source devices, one or more destination devices and one or more communication links; translating said service-centric based request into one or more device-specific events for carrying out said service-centric based request based on said network service database; constructing a service request list based on said device-specific events, wherein said service request list is arranged as a hierarchical data structure that includes a top level and one or more lower levels, wherein said top level includes a handle logically associated with said service-centric based request, and descriptive information and timing information for carrying out said service-centric based request, and wherein a lower level includes one or more logical links between said resources, and one or more device-specific commands for carrying out the service-centric based request by said resources; determining whether said service request list conflicts with another service request list; and provided that said service request list does not conflict with said another service request list, storing said service request list and scheduling said service request list for executing said plurality of device-specific events chronologically and sequentially according to said service request list.