How to make an application always stay open?

[RedTomato]

I'm running a old G4 mac mini with standard OSX as a headless database server. It does the job just fine, except every now and then people complain they can't log into the database.

When I fire up Remote Access and investigate, there's always a system message grabbing focus away from the database app - either a request for software updates, or a complaint about Time Machine.

Sometimes the database app has loaded and opened, but hasn't opened the actual database file due to being interrupted by one of the system message mentioned above.

I have the database file set as a startup item in System Preferences / Accounts / login items, and the Mac mini is set to automatically reboot into the working user account if there's a power cut.

What am I doing wrong? How can I make sure the database app is always on top and that system requests and dialogues don't interfere with it?

 

[garethlewis2]

What type of database app is this?

Bento? FileMaker?

Does the application have a server mode where it doesn't need a window running and will service client connections using sockets?

 

[RedTomato]

Yup it's Filemaker Pro 10 Advanced. I didn't mention the name as I thought I would have to tweak an OSX system setting.

It's not doing anything very complicated, just opening a simple contacts database and letting users on the network open and work on the same contacts database remotely through FileMaker Network sharing.