I highly doubt you can update ONLY php base package. The remaining (excluded) packages will still depend on an older version, e.g. for php-json:
» yum deplist php-json
package: php-json.x86_64 7.1.30-1.el7.remi
<...>
dependency: php-common(x86-64) = 7.1.30-1.el7.remi
provider: php-common.x86_64 7.1.30-1.el7.remi
<...>
^ you see the dependency on php-common?
If I tried this: yum update php --exclude=php-json I would get:
--> Processing Dependency: php-json(x86-64) = 7.1.30-1.el7.remi for package: php-common-7.1.30-1.el7.remi.x86_64
Error: Package: php-common-7.1.30-1.el7.remi.x86_64 (remi-php71)
Requires: php-json(x86-64) = 7.1.30-1.el7.remi
Installed: php-json-7.1.29-1.el7.remi.x86_64 (@remi-php71)
php-json(x86-64) = 7.1.29-1.el7.remi
Available: php-common-5.4.16-46.el7.x86_64 (base)
php-json(x86-64)
Available: php-pecl-jsonc-1.3.10-1.el7.remi.5.6.x86_64 (remi-php56)
php-json(x86-64) = 1.3.10
Available: php-pecl-jsonc-1.3.10-2.el7.remi.5.6.x86_64 (remi-php56)
php-json(x86-64) = 1.3.10
Removing: php-common-7.1.29-1.el7.remi.x86_64 (@remi-php71)
Not found
Updated By: php-common-7.1.30-1.el7.remi.x86_64 (remi-php71)
Not found
Available: php-common-5.6.40-8.el7.remi.x86_64 (remi-php56)
Not found
Available: php-common-5.6.40-9.el7.remi.x86_64 (remi-php56)
Not found
Error: Package: php-json-7.1.29-1.el7.remi.x86_64 (@remi-php71)
Requires: php-common(x86-64) = 7.1.29-1.el7.remi
Removing: php-common-7.1.29-1.el7.remi.x86_64 (@remi-php71)
php-common(x86-64) = 7.1.29-1.el7.remi
Updated By: php-common-7.1.30-1.el7.remi.x86_64 (remi-php71)
php-common(x86-64) = 7.1.30-1.el7.remi
Available: php-common-5.4.16-46.el7.x86_64 (base)
php-common(x86-64) = 5.4.16-46.el7
Available: php-common-5.6.40-8.el7.remi.x86_64 (remi-php56)
php-common(x86-64) = 5.6.40-8.el7.remi
Available: php-common-5.6.40-9.el7.remi.x86_64 (remi-php56)
php-common(x86-64) = 5.6.40-9.el7.remi
going around in circles...
yum update php*?yum update php*is going to update php and its dependencies, which is the thing I don't want, I need just to update php alone to that version.