Which scenario requires the most amount of disk space in a VM environment?

Creating a standard checkpoint while a VM is running demands the most disk space because it captures the entire state of the virtual machine, including its current memory state, active processes, and all data currently in use. This full capturing process results in the creation of a differential disk that stores changes made to the VM after the checkpoint is taken.

In contrast, creating a production checkpoint while the VM is stopped captures only the disk state without active memory, which generally occupies less space since it does not need to preserve real-time data and processes. Backing up a VM configuration involves saving settings and does not capture actual data from the VM, utilizing significantly less disk space. Similarly, creating snapshots of idle VMs also consumes less space compared to a running VM checkpoint since idle VMs are not actively changing or utilizing resources at that moment.

Thus, the active state and the requirement to store current operations contribute to why creating a standard checkpoint while a VM is running necessitates the most disk space in a VM environment.