An information processing apparatus, when a mirroring setting request of a virtual machine is received, transmits by broadcasting a detection packet to detect a monitoring node, when a response packet to respond to the detection packet is received from the monitoring node, determines a state of whether a reception port is a local port or an uplink port, based on a node identifier of the monitoring node, node identifier information, and state information, determines a connection relationship over a network between the information processing apparatus and the monitoring node, based on a presence/absence of the response packet and the determined state of the reception port, and performs a setting for transmitting a mirror packet obtained by copying a communication packet of the virtual machine to the monitoring node, for at least one switch of a plurality of switches, based on the determined connection relationship.