Report custom device metric via Dynatrace API

The Custom device endpoint of the Topology and Smartscape API enables you to send a custom metric data point to a custom device in Dynatrace. This request is also able to update the metadata of the custom device.

The metric you're reporting must already exist in Dynatrace.

To learn how to create a custom metric, see Timeseries API v1 - PUT a custom metric.

See Create custom device via the Dynatrace API to learn how to create a custom device without sending data to it.

You can send data to the custom device retrospectively—the custom device endpoint supports the reporting of data up to one hour in the past. However, to ensure the proper functioning of AI root-cause analysis and metric-based alerting, we recommend that data be sent in real time.

For this use case, the series element of the request body is required.

The request consumes and produces an application/json payload.

POSTSaaShttps://{your-environment-id}.live.dynatrace.com/api/v1/entity/infrastructure/custom/{customDeviceId}
Environment ActiveGatehttps://{your-activegate-domain}:9999/e/{your-environment-id}/api/v1/entity/infrastructure/custom/{customDeviceId}

Authentication

To execute this request, you need an access token with DataExport scope.

To learn how to obtain and use it, see Tokens and authentication.

Parameters

Parameter
Type
Description
In
Required
customDeviceId
string

The ID of the custom device.

If you use the ID of an existing device, the respective parameters will be updated.

Don't use Dynatrace entity ID here.

path
required
body

The JSON body of the request. Contains parameters of a custom device.

body
optional

Request body objects

The CustomDevicePushMessage object

Configuration of a custom device.

Element
Type
Description
Required
configUrl
string

The URL of a configuration web page for the custom device, such as a login page for a firewall or router.

optional
displayName
string

The name of the custom device that will appear in the user interface.

optional
favicon
string

The icon to be displayed for your custom component within Smartscape. Provide the full URL of the icon file.

optional
group
string

User defined group ID of entity.

The group ID helps to keep a consistent picture of device-group relations. One of many cases where a proper group is important is service detection: you can define which custom devices should lead to the same service by defining the same group ID for them.

If you set a group ID, it will be hashed into the Dynatrace entity ID of the custom device. In that case the custom device can only be part of one custom device group.

If you don't set the group ID, Dynatrace will create it based on the ID or type of the custom device. Also, the group will not be hashed into the device ID which means the device may switch groups.

optional
hostNames
string[]

The list of host names related to the custom device.

These names are used to automatically discover the horizontal communication relationship between this component and all other observed components within Smartscape. Once a connection is discovered, it is automatically mapped and shown within Smartscape.

If you send a value, the existing values will be overwritten.

If you send null or an empty value; or omit this field, the existing values will be kept.

optional
ipAddresses
string[]

The list of IP addresses that belong to the custom device.

These addresses are used to automatically discover the horizontal communication relationship between this component and all other observed components within Smartscape. Once a connection is discovered, it is automatically mapped and shown within Smartscape.

If you send a value (including an empty value), the existing values will be overwritten.

If you send null or omit this field, the existing values will be kept.

optional
listenPorts
integer[]

The list of ports the custom devices listens to.

These ports are used to discover the horizontal communication relationship between this component and all other observed components within Smartscape.

Once a connection is discovered, it is automatically mapped and shown within Smartscape.

If ports are specified, you should also add at least one IP address or a host name for the custom device.

If you send a value, the existing values will be overwritten.

If you send null, or an empty value, or omit this field, the existing values will be kept.

optional
properties
object

The list of key-value pair properties that will be shown beneath the infographics of your custom device.

optional
series

The list of metric values that are reported for the custom device.

The metric you're reporting must already exist in Dynatrace. To learn how to create a custom metric, see Timeseries API v1 - PUT a custom metric.

Dynatrace aggregates all the values you report for a custom device.

If you send a value (including an empty value), it will be added to the set of existing values.

If you send null or omit this field, the set of existing values won't change.

optional
tags
string[]

List of custom tags that you want to attach to your custom device.

optional
type
string

The technology type definition of the custom device.

It must be the same technology type of the metric you're reporting.

If you send a value, the existing value will be overwritten.

If you send null, empty or omit this field, the existing value will be kept.

optional

The EntityTimeseriesData object

Information about a metric and its data points.

Element
Type
Description
Required
dataPoints
array[]

List of data points.

Each data point is an array, containing the timestamp and the value.

Timestamp is UTC milliseconds reported as a number, for example: 1520523365557.

You have the guaranteed timeframe of 30 minutes into the past.

A custom metric must be registered before you can report a metric value. Therefore, the timestamp for reporting a value must be after the registration time of the metric.

required
dimensions
object

Dimensions of the data points you're posting.

The key of the metric dimension must be defined earlier in the metric definition.

optional
timeseriesId
string

The ID of the metric, where you want to post data points.

required

Request body JSON model

This is a model of the request body, showing the possible elements. It has to be adjusted for usage in an actual request.

{
  "configUrl": "http://coffee-machine.dynatrace.internal.com/coffeemachine/manage",
  "displayName": "coffeeMachine",
  "favicon": "https://www.freefavicon.com/freefavicons/food/cup-of-coffee-152-78475.png",
  "group": "myCustomDeviceGroup",
  "hostNames": [
    "coffee-machine.dynatrace.internal.com"
  ],
  "ipAddresses": [
    "10.0.0.1"
  ],
  "listenPorts": [
    80
  ],
  "properties": {},
  "series": [
    {
      "dataPoints": [
        [
          1521542929000,
          13
        ]
      ],
      "dimensions": {
        "office": "Linz"
      },
      "timeseriesId": "custom:created.coffee.metric"
    }
  ],
  "tags": [
    "office-linz"
  ],
  "type": "coffee machine"
}

Response

Response codes

Code
Type
Description
200

Success. The custom device has been created or updated.

400

Failed. The input is invalid.

4XX

Client side error.

5XX

Server side error.

Response body objects

The CustomDevicePushResult object

The result of a custom device push request. The entity ID is calculated automatically.

Element
Type
Description
entityId
string

The Dynatrace entity ID of the custom device.

groupId
string

The Dynatrace entity ID of the custom device group.

Response body JSON model

{
  "entityId": "string",
  "groupId": "string"
}

Example

In this example, the request reports two data points of custom:firewall.connections.dropped for the idOfmyCustomDevice device. The data points (with value 460 for the 1539860400000 timestamp and value 456 for the 1539860460000 timestamp) belong to the ethernetcard1 value of the nic dimension.

The request also reports two more data points of the same metric, but for ethernetcard2 in the same dimension, and it updates device metadata by adding a property and a tag.

The API token is passed in the Authorization header.

The request returns the IDs of the custom device (see entityId) and its group (see groupId) as confirmation.

You can download or copy the example request body to try it out on your own.

Curl

curl -X POST \
  https://mySampleEnv.live.dynatrace.com/api/v1/entity/infrastructure/custom/idOfmyCustomDevice \
  -H 'Authorization: Api-Token dt0c01.abc123.abcdefjhij1234567890' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "tags": [
    "tag2"
  ],
  "type": "F5-Firewall",
  "properties" : {
    "Sample Property 2": "Sample value 2"
  },
  "series" : [
    {
      "timeseriesId" : "custom:firewall.connections.dropped",
      "dimensions" : {
        "nic" : "ethernetcard1"
      },
      "dataPoints" : [
        [ 1539860400000, 460 ],
        [ 1539860460000, 456 ]
       ]
    },
    {
      "timeseriesId" : "custom:firewall.connections.dropped",
      "dimensions" : {
        "nic" : "ethernetcard2"
      },
      "dataPoints" : [
        [ 1539860430000, 439 ],
        [ 1539860490000, 460 ]
       ]
    }
  ]
}'

Request URL

https://mySampleEnv.live.dynatrace.com/api/v1/entity/infrastructure/custom/idOfmyCustomDevice

Request body

{
  "tags": ["tag2"],
  "type": "F5-Firewall",
  "properties": {
    "Sample Property 2": "Sample value 2"
  },
  "series": [
    {
      "timeseriesId": "custom:firewall.connections.dropped",
      "dimensions": {
        "nic": "ethernetcard1"
      },
      "dataPoints": [
        [1539860400000, 460],
        [1539860460000, 456]
      ]
    },
    {
      "timeseriesId": "custom:firewall.connections.dropped",
      "dimensions": {
        "nic": "ethernetcard2"
      },
      "dataPoints": [
        [1539860430000, 439],
        [1539860490000, 460]
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Response body

{
  "entityId": "CUSTOM_DEVICE-6A567B33AADC306E",
  "groupId": "CUSTOM_DEVICE_GROUP-FC2E2ABF54F513D8"
}

Response code

200

Result

Metrics of the custom device in chart