diff --git a/manifests/db.pp b/manifests/db.pp
index 70b7ab12..dfdc5b19 100644
--- a/manifests/db.pp
+++ b/manifests/db.pp
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ class manila::db (
   $database_max_overflow   = $::os_service_default,
 ) {
 
+  include ::manila::params
+
   # NOTE(spredzy): In order to keep backward compatibility we rely on the pick function
   # to use manila::<myparam> if manila::db::<myparam> isn't specified.
   $database_connection_real = pick($::manila::sql_connection, $database_connection)
@@ -54,13 +56,17 @@ class manila::db (
   $database_max_overflow_real = pick($::manila::database_max_overflow, $database_max_overflow)
 
   validate_re($database_connection_real,
-    '(sqlite|mysql|postgresql):\/\/(\S+:\S+@\S+\/\S+)?')
+    '^(sqlite|mysql(\+pymysql)?|postgresql):\/\/(\S+:\S+@\S+\/\S+)?')
 
   case $database_connection_real {
-    /^mysql:\/\//: {
-      $backend_package = false
+    /^mysql(\+pymysql)?:\/\//: {
       require 'mysql::bindings'
       require 'mysql::bindings::python'
+      if $database_connection_real =~ /^mysql\+pymysql/ {
+        $backend_package = $::manila::params::pymysql_package_name
+      } else {
+        $backend_package = false
+      }
     }
     /^postgresql:\/\//: {
       $backend_package = false
diff --git a/manifests/params.pp b/manifests/params.pp
index d92d8307..ef3c92b8 100644
--- a/manifests/params.pp
+++ b/manifests/params.pp
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ class manila::params {
     $gluster_client_package_name = 'glusterfs-client'
     $gluster_package_name        = 'glusterfs-common'
     $sqlite_package_name         = 'python-pysqlite2'
+    $pymysql_package_name        = 'python-pymysql'
 
   } elsif($::osfamily == 'RedHat') {
 
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ class manila::params {
     $gluster_client_package_name = 'glusterfs-fuse'
     $gluster_package_name        = 'glusterfs'
     $sqlite_package_name         = undef
+    $pymysql_package_name        = undef
 
     if $::operatingsystem == 'RedHat' and (versioncmp($::operatingsystemmajrelease, '7') >= 0) {
       $iscsi_helper = 'lioadm'
diff --git a/spec/acceptance/basic_manila_spec.rb b/spec/acceptance/basic_manila_spec.rb
index 519496b8..7fb6b3fd 100644
--- a/spec/acceptance/basic_manila_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/acceptance/basic_manila_spec.rb
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ describe 'basic manila' do
 
       # Manila resources
       class { '::manila':
-        sql_connection      => 'mysql://manila:a_big_secret@127.0.0.1/manila?charset=utf8',
+        sql_connection      => 'mysql+pymysql://manila:a_big_secret@127.0.0.1/manila?charset=utf8',
         rabbit_userid       => 'manila',
         rabbit_password     => 'an_even_bigger_secret',
         rabbit_host         => '127.0.0.1',
diff --git a/spec/classes/manila_db_spec.rb b/spec/classes/manila_db_spec.rb
index 1ab8d525..d9a1bad8 100644
--- a/spec/classes/manila_db_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/classes/manila_db_spec.rb
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ describe 'manila::db' do
 
     context 'with specific parameters' do
       let :params do
-        { :database_connection     => 'mysql://manila:manila@localhost/manila',
+        { :database_connection     => 'mysql+pymysql://manila:manila@localhost/manila',
           :database_idle_timeout   => '3601',
           :database_min_pool_size  => '2',
           :database_max_pool_size  => '21',
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ describe 'manila::db' do
           :database_retry_interval => '11', }
       end
 
-      it { is_expected.to contain_manila_config('database/connection').with_value('mysql://manila:manila@localhost/manila').with_secret(true) }
+      it { is_expected.to contain_manila_config('database/connection').with_value('mysql+pymysql://manila:manila@localhost/manila').with_secret(true) }
       it { is_expected.to contain_manila_config('database/idle_timeout').with_value('3601') }
       it { is_expected.to contain_manila_config('database/min_pool_size').with_value('2') }
       it { is_expected.to contain_manila_config('database/max_retries').with_value('11') }
@@ -37,6 +37,14 @@ describe 'manila::db' do
 
     end
 
+    context 'with MySQL-python library as backend package' do
+      let :params do
+        { :database_connection => 'mysql://manila:manila@localhost/manila' }
+      end
+
+      it { is_expected.to contain_manila_config('database/connection').with_value('mysql://manila:manila@localhost/manila').with_secret(true) }
+    end
+
     context 'with postgresql backend' do
       let :params do
         { :database_connection     => 'postgresql://manila:manila@localhost/manila', }
@@ -56,6 +64,14 @@ describe 'manila::db' do
       it_raises 'a Puppet::Error', /validate_re/
     end
 
+    context 'with incorrect database_connection string' do
+      let :params do
+        { :database_connection     => 'foo+pymysql://manila:manila@localhost/manila', }
+      end
+
+      it_raises 'a Puppet::Error', /validate_re/
+    end
+
   end
 
   context 'on Debian platforms' do
@@ -67,6 +83,14 @@ describe 'manila::db' do
     end
 
     it_configures 'manila::db'
+
+    context 'using pymysql driver' do
+      let :params do
+        { :database_connection     => 'mysql+pymysql://manila:manila@localhost/manila' }
+      end
+
+      it { is_expected.to contain_package('manila-backend-package').with({ :ensure => 'present', :name => 'python-pymysql' }) }
+    end
   end
 
   context 'on Redhat platforms' do
@@ -77,6 +101,14 @@ describe 'manila::db' do
     end
 
     it_configures 'manila::db'
+
+    context 'using pymysql driver' do
+      let :params do
+        { :database_connection     => 'mysql+pymysql://manila:manila@localhost/manila' }
+      end
+
+      it { is_expected.not_to contain_package('manila-backend-package') }
+    end
   end
 
 end
diff --git a/spec/classes/manila_spec.rb b/spec/classes/manila_spec.rb
index b9a9482c..efc10b11 100644
--- a/spec/classes/manila_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/classes/manila_spec.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 require 'spec_helper'
 describe 'manila' do
   let :req_params do
-    {:rabbit_password => 'guest', :sql_connection => 'mysql://user:password@host/database'}
+    {:rabbit_password => 'guest', :sql_connection => 'mysql+pymysql://user:password@host/database'}
   end
 
   let :facts do
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ describe 'manila' do
 
     let :params do
       {
-        :sql_connection         => 'mysql://user:password@host/database',
+        :sql_connection         => 'mysql+pymysql://user:password@host/database',
         :rpc_backend            => 'zmq',
       }
     end