Hardware environment

Linux can run on a mainframe under the following three modes:
BASIC
A single operating system that owns the entire mainframe.
LPAR
A mainframe divided into logical partitions, with each partition running its own operating system image. There can be up to 15 LPARs.
VIRTUAL
z/VM® supports hundreds to thousands of guests. Each guest runs its own operating system—for example, one guest using Linux and another using z/OS®, all on the same hardware.