Here some code to get and use the HttpServletRequest, HttpServletResponse, HttpSession, read and write Cookies from a PortletRequest (in processAction method or doView).

This is not compliant with JSR-168. And is "as is", and may not work.

import java.util.logging.Logger;

import javax.portlet.PortletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.Cookie;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;

import org.jboss.portal.portlet.aspects.portlet.ContextDispatcherInterceptor;
import org.jboss.portal.portlet.impl.spi.AbstractInvocationContext;
import org.jboss.portal.portlet.invocation.PortletInvocation;
import org.jboss.portal.portlet.spi.InvocationContext;

/**
 * A class to help manage the HttpServletRequest and Session of the portal.
 *
 */
public class HttpServletRequestHelper {
 private static final Logger log = Logger
 .getLogger(HttpServletRequestHelper.class.getName());


 /***************************************************************************
 * For getting and using the HttpServletRequest and HttpServletResponse.
 **************************************************************************/
 /**
 * This method retieve the {@link HttpServletRequest} from the
 * {@link PortletRequest}. It call first the
 * {@link #getAbstractInvocationContext(PortletRequest, String)} to get the
 * {@link AbstractInvocationContext}, then retrive the HttpServletRequest
 * from it.
 *
 * <p>
 * See the code for details of how it retrieves it.
 * </p>
 *
 * @param request
 * The PortletRequest.
 * @param msgLogPrefix
 * The message prefix for all log, to tell from where this
 * helping method was called.
 * @return
 */
 public static final HttpServletRequest getHttpServletRequest(
 PortletRequest request, String msgLogPrefix) {
 // Try to cast the context of invocation to an AbstractInvocationContext
 AbstractInvocationContext abstractInvCtxt = getAbstractInvocationContext(
 request, msgLogPrefix);
 HttpServletRequest httpServletRequest = null;
 if (abstractInvCtxt != null) {
 // The AbstractInvocationContext exists : try to retrieve the client
 // httpServletRequest.
 httpServletRequest = abstractInvCtxt.getClientRequest();
 if (httpServletRequest == null) {
 log.warning(msgLogPrefix + " The HttpServletRequest is null !");
 }
 } else {
 log.warning(msgLogPrefix
 + " The AbstractInvocationContext is null !");
 }
 return httpServletRequest;
 }

 /**
 * This method retieve the {@link HttpServletRequest} from the
 * {@link PortletRequest}. It call first the
 * {@link #getAbstractInvocationContext(PortletRequest, String)} to get the
 * {@link AbstractInvocationContext}, then retrive the HttpServletResponse
 * from it.
 *
 * <p>
 * See the code for details of how it retrieves it.
 * </p>
 *
 * @param request
 * The PortletRequest.
 * @param msgLogPrefix
 * The message prefix for all log, to tell from where this
 * helping method was called.
 * @return
 */
 public static final HttpServletResponse getHttpServletResponse(
 PortletRequest request, String msgLogPrefix) {
 // Try to cast the context of invocation to an AbstractInvocationContext
 AbstractInvocationContext abstractInvCtxt = getAbstractInvocationContext(
 request, msgLogPrefix);
 HttpServletResponse httpServletResponse = null;
 if (abstractInvCtxt != null) {
 // The AbstractInvocationContext exists : try to retrieve the client
 // httpServletRequest.
 httpServletResponse = abstractInvCtxt.getClientResponse();
 if (httpServletResponse == null) {
 log
 .warning(msgLogPrefix
 + " The HttpServletResponse is null !");
 }
 } else {
 log.warning(msgLogPrefix
 + " The AbstractInvocationContext is null !");
 }
 return httpServletResponse;
 }

 /**
 * This method retieve the {@link AbstractInvocationContext} from the
 * {@link PortletRequest}. The {@link AbstractInvocationContext} is used to
 * get the ClientRequest etc...
 * <p>
 * See the code for details of how it retrieves it.
 * </p>
 *
 * @param request
 * The PortletRequest.
 * @param msgLogPrefix
 * The message prefix for all log, to tell from where this
 * helping method was called.
 * @return
 */
 public static final AbstractInvocationContext getAbstractInvocationContext(
 PortletRequest request, String msgLogPrefix) {
 PortletInvocation portletInvocation = (PortletInvocation) request
 .getAttribute(ContextDispatcherInterceptor.REQ_ATT_COMPONENT_INVOCATION);
 // return portletInvocation.getDispatchedRequest();

 // Get the context of the invocation
 InvocationContext invocationContext = portletInvocation.getContext();

 // Try to cast the context of invocation to an AbstractInvocationContext
 AbstractInvocationContext abstractInvCtxt = null;
 if (invocationContext != null) {
 if (invocationContext instanceof AbstractInvocationContext) {
 abstractInvCtxt = (AbstractInvocationContext) invocationContext;
 } else {
 log
 .warning(msgLogPrefix
 + " The InvocationContext is not of instance of AbstractInvocationContext !");
 log.warning(msgLogPrefix + " The InvocationContext is : "
 + invocationContext + " // "
 + invocationContext.getClass().getName() + " // "
 + invocationContext.toString());
 }

 } else {
 log.warning(msgLogPrefix + " The invocationContext is null !");
 }
 return abstractInvCtxt;
 }
 /***************************************************************************
 * End of For getting and using the HttpServletRequest and
 * HttpServletResponse.
 **************************************************************************/
 /***************************************************************************
 * Set and retrieve a Cookie
 **************************************************************************/
 /**
 * Return the cookie with name cookieName, from the
 * {@link HttpServletRequest}, or null if not found. Does not check for the path
 *
 * @param httpRequest
 * @param cookieName
 * The name of the cookie to look for
 * @param msgLogPrefix
 * The message prefix for all log, to tell from where this
 * helping method was called.
 * @return The cookie, or null if not found.
 */
 public static Cookie getCookie(HttpServletRequest httpRequest,
 String cookieName, String cookiePath, String msgLogPrefix) {
 Cookie cookieRet = null;
 Cookie[] cookieTab = httpRequest.getCookies();

 // log.warning(msgLogPrefix + " The list of cookies :"
 // + msgCookieListAsString(cookieTab));

 if (cookieTab != null) {
 for (int i = 0; i < cookieTab.length; i++) {
 if (cookieTab.getName().compareTo(cookieName) == 0) {
 // log.warning(msgLogPrefix + " i = " + i
 // + " same name cookieTab.getName()="
 // + cookieTab.getName());
 // log.warning(msgLogPrefix + " i = " + i
 // + " PATH cookieTab.getPath()="
 // + cookieTab.getPath());

 cookieRet = cookieTab;
 break;
 }
 }
 // } else {
 // log
 // .warning(msgLogPrefix
 // + " The List of cookies is null. From HttpServletRequest :
 // LocalAddr="
 // + httpRequest.getLocalAddr() + ", and LocalName="
 // + httpRequest.getLocalName() + ", and user="
 // + httpRequest.getRemoteUser());
 }
 return cookieRet;
 }

 /**
 * Store a cookie.
 *
 * @param httpResponse
 * @param cookieName
 * @param cookiePath
 * @param cookieValue
 * @param maxAgeSeconds
 * The cookie will expire after that many seconds have passed.
 * See {@link Cookie#setMaxAge(int)}. One year = 60*60*24*365 =
 * 31536000 sec.
 * @param msgLogPrefix
 */
 public static void storeCookie(HttpServletResponse httpResponse,
 String cookieName, String cookiePath, String cookieValue,
 int maxAgeSeconds, String msgLogPrefix) {
 Cookie cookie = new Cookie(cookieName, cookieValue);
 cookie.setMaxAge(maxAgeSeconds); // one year = 60*60*24*365
 // log.warning(msgLogPrefix + " cookie.setMaxAge = " +
 // cookie.getMaxAge()
 // + ", and LocalName=" + "");

 cookie.setPath(cookiePath);

 httpResponse.addCookie(cookie);
 }

 /**
 * Return the log message of a cookie : name, path, value, maxAge.
 *
 * @param cookie
 * @return
 */
 public static String msgCookieAsString(Cookie cookie) {
 String msgRet = "Cookie[" + cookie.getName() + "], path=["
 + cookie.getPath() + "]" + ", value=" + cookie.getValue()
 + ", maxAge=" + cookie.getMaxAge() + ", domain="
 + cookie.getDomain() + "";
 return msgRet;
 }

 /**
 * Return the log message of the list of cookie.
 *
 * @param cookieTab
 * @return
 */
 public static String msgCookieListAsString(Cookie[] cookieTab) {
 String msgRet = null;
 if (cookieTab == null) {
 msgRet = "Cookie list is null !";
 return msgRet;
 } else {
 msgRet = "Cookie list size=" + cookieTab.length;
 }
 for (int i = 0; i < cookieTab.length; i++) {
 msgRet = msgRet + "\ni=" + i + ", "
 + msgCookieAsString(cookieTab);
 }
 return msgRet;
 }

 /***************************************************************************
 * End of Set and retrieve a Cookie
 **************************************************************************/

 }