Patent ID: 6918004

Claim:
A method for recording or reproducing data on/from a recording medium, the recording medium including a spare area for replacing a defective unit, the spare area including a first spare area and/or a second spare area, the method comprising: (a) determining whether or not the first spare area or the second spare area is full based on first or second state information, the first or second state information indicating whether or not the first spare area or the second spare area is in full state, wherein the second state information can alternately identify that the second spare area is not assigned, and the second state information is set at least differently before and after an assignment of the second spare area; and (b) performing a linear replacement for a defective unit using a spare block of either the first spare area or the second spare area when at least one of the first spare area and second spare is not full as a result of the step (a).