diff --git a/addons/portal/portal.py b/addons/portal/portal.py
index ff50a1ddcf3..3b1448f3b2e 100644
--- a/addons/portal/portal.py
+++ b/addons/portal/portal.py
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@ class portal(osv.osv):
     _description = 'Portal'
     _columns = {
         'name': fields.char(string='Name', size=64, required=True),
-        'menu_id': fields.many2one('ir.ui.menu',
-            string='Portal Menu',
+        'menu_id': fields.many2one('ir.actions.actions', required="True",
+            string='Menu Action',
             help="The customized menu of the portal's users"),
         'user_ids': fields.one2many('res.users', 'portal_id',
             string='Users',
@@ -36,6 +36,42 @@ class portal(osv.osv):
             string='Groups',
             help='Users of this portal automatically belong to those groups'),
     }
+    
+    def create(self, cr, uid, values, context=None):
+        """ extend create() to assign the portal menu and groups to users """
+        # as 'user_ids' is a many2one relation, values['user_ids'] must be a
+        # list of tuples of the form (0, 0, {values})
+        for op, _, user_values in values['user_ids']:
+            assert op == 0
+            user_values['menu_id'] = values['menu_id']
+            user_values['groups_id'] = values['group_ids']
+        
+        return super(portal, self).create(cr, uid, values, context)
+    
+    def write(self, cr, uid, ids, values, context=None):
+        """ extend write() to assign the portal menu and groups to users """
+        user_object = self.pool.get('res.users')
+        
+        # first apply changes on the portals themselves
+        super(portal, self).write(cr, uid, ids, values, context)
+        
+        # then reflect changes on the users of each portal
+        #
+        # PERFORMANCE NOTE.  The loop below performs N write() operations, where
+        # N=len(ids).  This may seem inefficient, but in practice it is not,
+        # because: (1) N is pretty small (typically N=1), and (2) it is too
+        # complex (read: bug-prone) to write those updates as a single batch.
+        #
+        plist = self.browse(cr, uid, ids, context)
+        for p in plist:
+            user_ids  = get_browse_ids(p.user_ids)
+            user_values = {
+                'menu_id': get_browse_id(p.menu_id),
+                'groups_id': [(6, 0, get_browse_ids(p.group_ids))],
+            }
+            user_object.write(cr, uid, user_ids, user_values, context)
+        
+        return True
 
 portal()
 
@@ -49,3 +85,12 @@ class users(osv.osv):
 
 users()
 
+# utils
+def get_browse_id(obj):
+    """ return the id of a browse() object, or None """
+    return (obj and obj.id or None)
+
+def get_browse_ids(objs):
+    """ return the ids of a list of browse() objects """
+    return [(obj and obj.id or default) for obj in objs]
+
diff --git a/addons/portal/portal_view.xml b/addons/portal/portal_view.xml
index 170ec9eedf7..c0608f29d06 100644
--- a/addons/portal/portal_view.xml
+++ b/addons/portal/portal_view.xml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
             <field name="arch" type="xml">
                 <form string="Portal Form">
                     <field name="name" colspan="4"/>
-                    <field name="menu_id" colspan="2"/>
+                    <field name="menu_id" domain="[('usage','=','menu')]" colspan="2"/>
                     <separator string="Users and groups" colspan="4"/>
                     <field name="user_ids" nolabel="1" colspan="2">
                         <tree string="Users">