user1307: I want to do the following:
I have one small server PC at home. I want to install bitcoind on that machine to download the blockchain information. Then I want this machine to accept RPC calls from my LAN network and setup all other bitcoin clients on my LAN network to use that server machine for blockchain info and transaction broadcasting.
I already setup a bitcoind client on the server with the following bitcoin.conf values:
server=1
rpcuser=MyRPCUser
rpcpassword=MyRPCPassword
rpcallowip=192.168.0.*
rpcssl=1
rpcsslciphers=TLSv1+HIGH:!SSLv2:!aNULL:!eNULL:!AH:!3DES:@STRENGTH
rpcsslcertificatechainfile=server.cert
rpcsslprivatekeyfile=server.pem

Note that I did follow the instruction for creating a SSL certificate.
What should I do on the client machines? I tried bitcoin-qt -rpcconnect=[server-ip] but it seemed to just start regularly continuing to download the blockchain from where it stopped last time.
Besides, is it possible to let Bitcoin Armory also use a bitcoin client via RPC instead of the one of the same machine? Or does it really require a remote bitcoind <-> local bitcoin client <-> armory setup?

user2306: rpcconnect only changes where RPC commands are sent. So, for example, bitcoind getbalance would be sent to the IP address you specified, but nothing in the GUI generates an RPC call.
Source: This is the only place the CallRPC function is referenced.
I assume that you want to keep the private keys for spending the bitcoins on the personal computers. In that case, the best approach would probably be to install the electrum server on one computer, and the electrum client on another. 
EDIT:
Sorry, only saw the part about bitcoin-qt, and I thought that was what you were running. So, the armory client does talk to the bitcoin client, but the address it uses is hard-coded. (Fortunately, it's only hardcoded in the python files.) Also, the protocol it's speaking is not RPC, but the bitcoin protocol itself.

user2593: You need to use connect in your configuration file, rpc_connect is something different, it means that your client delegates its commands to another bitcoind.
If one client connects normally and other clients connect to it using connect = ip.of.main.client it will work the way you want it to.
Conversely you can prevent a node from connecting to anything by using connect = 0.0.0.0.
EDIT : I understand better now. You need to use rpc_connect = ip.of.master.bitcoind on the 'slave' node, and connect = 0.0.0.0 to prevent it from loading the blockchain and you should be all set.

1307: <p>I want to do the following:</p>

<p>I have one small server PC at home. I want to install bitcoind on that machine to download the blockchain information. Then I want this machine to accept RPC calls from my LAN network and setup all other bitcoin clients on my LAN network to use that server machine for blockchain info and transaction broadcasting.</p>

<p>I already setup a bitcoind client on the server with the following bitcoin.conf values:</p>

<pre><code>server=1
rpcuser=MyRPCUser
rpcpassword=MyRPCPassword
rpcallowip=192.168.0.*
rpcssl=1
rpcsslciphers=TLSv1+HIGH:!SSLv2:!aNULL:!eNULL:!AH:!3DES:@STRENGTH
rpcsslcertificatechainfile=server.cert
rpcsslprivatekeyfile=server.pem
</code></pre>

<p>Note that I did follow the instruction for creating a SSL certificate.</p>

<p>What should I do on the client machines? I tried <code>bitcoin-qt -rpcconnect=[server-ip]</code> but it seemed to just start regularly continuing to download the blockchain from where it stopped last time.</p>

<p>Besides, is it possible to let Bitcoin Armory also use a bitcoin client via RPC instead of the one of the same machine? Or does it really require a <code>remote bitcoind &lt;-&gt; local bitcoin client &lt;-&gt; armory</code> setup?</p>
 2306: <p><code>rpcconnect</code> only changes where RPC commands are sent. So, for example, <code>bitcoind getbalance</code> would be sent to the IP address you specified, but nothing in the GUI generates an RPC call.</p>

<p>Source: <a href="https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/master/src/bitcoinrpc.cpp#L1253" rel="nofollow">This</a> is the only place the <code>CallRPC</code> function is referenced.</p>

<p>I assume that you want to keep the private keys for spending the bitcoins on the personal computers. In that case, the best approach would probably be to install the electrum server on one computer, and the electrum client on another. </p>

<p><strong>EDIT:</strong></p>

<p>Sorry, only saw the part about bitcoin-qt, and I thought that was what you were running. So, the armory client <em>does</em> talk to the bitcoin client, but the address it uses is hard-coded. (Fortunately, it's only hardcoded in the python files.) Also, the protocol it's speaking is not RPC, but the bitcoin protocol itself.</p>
 2593: <p>You need to use <code>connect</code> in your configuration file, <code>rpc_connect</code> is something different, it means that your client delegates its commands to another bitcoind.</p>

<p>If one client connects normally and other clients connect to it using <code>connect = ip.of.main.client</code> it will work the way you want it to.</p>

<p>Conversely you can prevent a node from connecting to anything by using <code>connect = 0.0.0.0</code>.</p>

<p><strong>EDIT :</strong> I understand better now. You need to use <code>rpc_connect = ip.of.master.bitcoind</code> on the 'slave' node, and <code>connect = 0.0.0.0</code> to prevent it from loading the blockchain and you should be all set.</p>
