A method of monitoring network traffic in a fabric and a Fibre Channel network are provided. The method includes: transmitting a monitoring configuration message to a plurality of fabric elements in a Fibre Channel network, said monitoring configuration message including classification criteria identifying packets to be monitored; receiving copies of identified packets from the plurality of fabric elements; and analyzing the copies of identified packets to determine data transmission status in the Fibre Channel network. The Fibre Channel network includes: a plurality of fabric elements; a management system configured to transmit a monitoring configuration message to the plurality of fabric elements, said monitoring configuration message including classification criteria identifying packets to be monitored; and an analyzer configured to: receive copies of identified packets from the plurality of fabric elements; and analyze the copies of identified packets to determine data transmission status in the Fibre Channel network.