A network consists of 3 parts: IP addresses, services, and ports. An IP address has a network and host address determined by the subnet mask. Services are network protocols that link server and client applications, typically running on specific ports, though any service can run on any port. Ports allow different services to be available from one location, with common services using well-known ports. Network scanning includes host scanning to locate hosts, port scanning to determine services, and vulnerability scanning to find known flaws using signature-based tools like Nmap, Nessus, GFI LANguard, and SuperScan.