Which situation will allow an administrator to take a snapshot of a virtual machine's standard VMDK successfully?

Taking a snapshot of a virtual machine's standard VMDK is primarily influenced by the mode of the virtual disk. When a VMDK is set to "independent persistent mode," this indicates that the disk's data is not affected by snapshots. Because of this characteristic, snapshots can be successfully taken when the VMDK is configured in this manner, allowing for certain administrative operations without impacting ongoing data changes.

This differs from the behavior of virtual disks in other modes, such as "dependent" or "non-persistent," where snapshots can have an effect on the data state being captured. In independent persistent mode, since the disk will maintain its data regardless of the snapshot, it allows snapshots to be taken without concerns about data inconsistency or loss.

In addition to this specific aspect of independent persistent mode, other conditions—such as the power state of the virtual machine, the use of RDMs, or storage location—do not guarantee successful snapshot capabilities for standard VMDKs. Therefore, the unique nature of independent persistent mode directly supports the successful creation of snapshots, making it the key factor in this scenario.