SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOTELY ACTIVATING A SERVICE AND SERVICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INCORPORATING THE SAME

1 . A service management system, comprising:

a service description repository configured to contain service descriptions that define services in terms of a set of end points that assume roles based on at least one of capabilities and attributes thereof; and

a service management engine coupled to said service description repository and configured to employ at least one relationship contained in one of said service descriptions in said service description repository to pre-qualify ones of said end points associated with one of said services and activate said one of said services with respect to a subscriber.

2 . The service management system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a device repository configured to contain data regarding devices, said service management engine further configured to employ said device repository to pre-qualify said devices.

3 . The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service management engine is configured to activate said one of said services in response to an event received from an external system.

4 . The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service management engine is configured to pre-qualify said ones of said end points in response to a calling application.

5 . The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said end points are selected from the group consisting of:

devices, and

systems.

6 . The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service description repository associates at least some of functions, operations, alerts, and key/value pairs with said roles.

7 . The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said roles are based on at least some of descriptions, capabilities and attributes of said devices.

8 . The service management system as recited in claim 1 wherein said service descriptions contain service descriptions expressed in a selected one of:

a human readable markup language, and

binary data representations.

9 . A method of remotely activating a service, comprising:

providing identifying information about a subscriber and a service description associated with said service;

obtaining end points associated with said subscriber;

determining capabilities of end points involved in said service;

mapping said end points into roles associated with said service;

executing a pre-qualification function to pre-qualify ones of said end points; and

provisioning said ones of said end points for said service if execution of said pre-qualification function indicates that said service can be activated for said subscriber.

10 . The method as recited in claim 9 wherein a calling application carries out said providing.

11 . The method as recited in claim 9 wherein a service management system provides said service description.

12 . The method as recited in claim 9 wherein said service description contains definitions selected from the group consisting of:

functions,

attributes,

alerts,

roles, and

relationships.

13 . The method as recited in claim 9 wherein said executing said pre-qualification function comprises:

obtaining said pre-qualification function from said service description;

providing said pre-qualification function to a script engine; and

further providing references to ones of said end points categorized by role and said service description.

14 . The method as recited in claim 9 wherein said activating comprises:

obtaining a provisioning function from said service description; and

providing said provisioning function to a script engine.

15 . The method as recited in claim 13 wherein a service description repository associates at least some of operations, alerts, and key/value pairs with said roles.

16 . The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said roles are based on at least some of descriptions, capabilities and attributes of said end points.

17 . The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said service description is expressed in a selected one of:

a human readable markup language, and

binary data representations.