NoSQL database leader MongoDB Inc. has expanded its partnership with IBM by adding support for Big Blue’s new IBM z Systems mainframe computers.

IBM launched LinuxONE, a new generation of hardware, software and services solutions based on the z Systems mainframe yesterday, a portfolio that’s designed as a platform for enterprise-grade Linux applications. According to MongoDB, IBM’s support for its database is a reflection of its growing popularity as a platform to run mission-critical deployments.

“MongoDB has become the world’s fastest growing database by enabling organizations to effectively capitalize on the power of modern applications and data to gain a competitive advantage,” Dev Ittycheria, president and CEO of MongoDB, said in prepared remarks. “For years, the world’s largest companies have run critical applications on IBM mainframes. With this announcement, organizations can now build and run modern, mission-critical applications on proven mainframe technologies.”

IBM and MongoDB have worked closely together to optimize the flagship MongoDB Enterprise Server for Linux to run on z Systems, and also IBM’s new LinuxONE systems. The partnership will see MongoDB’s support team continue its collaboration with IBM to ensure there are no hiccups for customers running MongoDB on IBM’s systems.

“We are constantly looking for best-of-class open source technologies to deploy on IBM z Systems,” offered Ross Mauri, general manager, IBM z Systems. “Now, organizations can combine the innovative features of MongoDB with the unmatched performance of the z Systems mainframe to create solutions with new levels of speed, scale and flexibility.”

IBM announced LinuxONE at the LinuxCon North America event in Seattle yesterday. It consists of two offerings – one for large enterprises and one for mid-size businesses. The enterprise-grade LinuxONE Emperor is based on IBM’s z13 mainframe and is capable of real-time analysis of transactions while helping to prevent fraud as it happens. IBM said LinuxONE Emperor can scale up to 8,000 virtual machines, or alternatively, “thousands” of containers simultaneously. The second offering, LinuxONE Rockhopper, is designed for customers in emerging markets that demand the availability, security and speed offered by a mainframe, in a smaller package.

Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told The New Stack that IBM’s new hardware as “cutting-edge” technology that blows away the idea of mainframes being the “dinosaurs of the computing world.”

“IBM is making a major push on Linux in an effort to showcase that you can have what mainframes are good at — I/O, centralized performance, and security — and also get flexibility, choice, and a lot of very different old and new financing options,” Enderle said. “In a way this is a return to the past with a twist, all the stuff people loved in a mainframe and all the stuff they want on current generation super server in one platform. This is a good deal of what IBM is betting on, that they can use a blend of what made them great in the first place with what people want today and create a well differentiated product that is ideal for the connected world of today.”