A network monitoring program automatically sorts fault producing locations on a network. A memory unit stores a fault location determining table containing events indicative of failures of communications via the network, the events being associated with classified elements which can be causes of faults on the network. A communication situation monitoring unit monitors communication situations with respect to other apparatus on the network. A failure detecting unit detects an event indicative of a failure from a communication situation detected by the communication situation monitoring unit. A fault location determining unit determines an element which is responsible for the event detected by the failure detecting unit by referring to the fault location determining table. A fault information output unit outputs fault information representative of a determined result from the fault location determining unit.