Log Locations
Extension lifecycle — testing and debugging
Extension logs live on the ActiveGate:
# Extension datasource logs
/var/lib/dynatrace/remotepluginmodule/log/extensions/
# EEC logs
/var/lib/dynatrace/remotepluginmodule/log/extensions/eec.log
# Specific extension logs
/var/lib/dynatrace/remotepluginmodule/log/extensions/datasources/
custom_com.dynatrace.extension.my-ext_*/
Local Development
# Run extension locally (without ActiveGate)
dt-sdk run --target targets.json
# targets.json defines test endpoints
{
"targets": [{
"address": "192.168.1.1",
"snmpVersion": "v2c",
"communityString": "public"
}]
}
🛠 Try it: Use dt-sdk run to test your extension locally before uploading. It simulates the EEC and shows metrics in the console.
Common Issues
Symptom Cause Fix
─────────────────────────────────── ────────────────────────────── ──────────────────────
No metrics after activation Wrong ActiveGate group Check AG group assignment
Metrics but no entities idPattern doesn't match dims Check dimension keys
"Extension error" in UI Python exception in query() Check EEC logs
Metrics intermittent Timeout too low Increase timeout
"Invalid signature" Cert not on ActiveGate Copy root.pem to certs dir
Entities disappear Dimension values changed Use stable identifiers
Debugging Checklist
- Check extension status in Extensions app (green = OK, red = error)
- Check EEC logs on ActiveGate for Python exceptions
- Verify metrics in Data Explorer: search for your metric key prefix
- Verify entities in Entity List: filter by your entity type
- Check monitoring configuration: correct AG group, correct device IPs
💡 The VS Code extension shows real-time extension health and lets you view logs directly from the editor.